North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran &/or Donna" <holycow@frontiernet.net>]

I'm sorry, I now realise that should have changed the whole subject and the subject line.  I like to talk about climate period, and the variable weather that makes it up.  That is the subject that I think interests us all, not the battle cry that has been adopted by one political party and used as a term of derision by the other.  I don't believe in either party's version.  As for "climate change" there is the saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same", (which my husband says is from the French). 

    And, have you all noticed how long the sun is staying spot free???  Note this info from http://www.spaceweather.com/  The radio weather has been better (for shortwave at least) the last few weeks so SOMETHING is going on with the ionosphere.  Of course even 694 days sunspot free is a LONG way from 70 years and the Little Ice Age.  But it's interesting that we had a very long "loud" solar maximum and now a very long quiet solar minimum.  Sunspots tend to be associated with more clouds, and hence, weather.  Donna

 

Sunspot number: 0 

Spotless Days
Current Stretch: 41 days
2009 total: 183 days (79%)
Since 2004: 694 days
Typical Solar Min: 485 days

 

QUIET SUN: According to NOAA sunspot counts, the longest stretch of spotless suns during the current solar minimum was 52 days in July, August and Sept. of 2008. The current spate of blank suns is putting that record in jeopardy. There have been no sunspots for almost 42 days and there are none in the offing. Deep solar minimum continues.

NORTHERN LIGHTS: Sunspots are not required to make auroras. A solar wind stream can do the job just fine. Witness this display on August 20th

AURORA ALERT: Did you miss theNorthern Lights? In July they descended as far south as Nebraska. Next time get a wake-up call: Spaceweather PHONE.