There’s been a little discussion about the plage area that came around the solar rim in the last two days, and now it appears that it has formed a spot. (h/t to Leif Svalgaard)
Click for full sized image
Note that other similar sized black “specks” on the image are stuck pixels in the SOHO imager.
The question now is: how long will the sunspeck last? Longevity has not been a virtue for similarly sized sunspecks this year.
UPDATE: As of 1600 UTC 10-05-2008 the speck is gone on the latest SOHO MDI – Anthony
Jan Janssens has an interesting discussion on it (h/t to John-x)
4 October 08 – There is a new sunspotgroup visible on the southern solar hemisphere (as already reported yesterday by Pete Lawrence on the Spaceweather-website).
Belgian solar observers saw earlier this morning at least one sunspot clearly in this region.
Interestingly, Locarno (07:15 UT ; Q=2) and SIDC/Ukkel (07:45 UT ; Q=2?) did not report anything just a few hours earlier… Kanzelhöhe (09:03UT) did notice a bipolar group.
My own observations (C8, 68x) do not show “clearly” a B-group: a clear Axx for sure, but if there’s still something there, it rather looks like a small photospheric region imbedded in somewhat brighter faculae fields… A greyish pore at most (at least around 8:30UT, with Q=3 and some cirrus). The region is also very nice in H-alpha: 3 closely packed and relatively bright small areas, with some dark fibrils in the neighbourhood.
GONG-images also show the group. NSO-magnetograms clearly reflect an overnight enhancement of the magnetic fields in this region. The polarity is that of a SC23-group… at a latitude of at least -20°… This can possibly still be a high latitude SC23-group. Late June 1997, NOAA 8056 -with SC22-polarity- appeared with a latitude of +17°. See SOHO for magnetogram, and Kanzelhöhe for a drawing. The nearby group is NOAA 8055, a SC23-group (= new cycle) at +15°! And this happened more than a year after cycle minimum and the start of SC23. I have no magnetograms of earlier SC-transits to evaluate how exceptional or common all this is. At least this is a new element for discussion!
http://users.telenet.be/j.janssens/Engwelcome.html
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Glad I tuned in just now.
It’ll probably be gone in 10 minutes.
http://publishing.royalsociety.org/media/proceedings_a/rspa20071880.pdf
http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php?a=18
——————————————————-
http://ieg.or.kr/abstractII/G0102523037.PDF
http://ppg.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/3/309
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VHB-3X9YR6N-4&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F01%2F1999&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=9f89b27c032ed62c31c9593387adb5e7
http://www.mps.mpg.de/homes/natalie/PAPERS/warming.pdf
http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/pdf/StottEtAl.pdf
http://www.mps.mpg.de/dokumente/publikationen/solanki/c153.pdf
http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/mpa/publications/preprints/pp2006/MPA2001.pdf
http://www.aimes.ucar.edu/MEETINGS/2005_AIMES_SSC/SSC%20PUBLICATIONS/Millenial_CCSM_Schimel%20copy.pdf
A watched kettle never boils.
I had to clean the dust from my monitor before I could pick that one out. The article seems to indicate that this is, or maybe, a SC23 event. So there is still no apparent SC24 ramping up.
Interesting times we live in.
What a difference a day makes 🙂 Yesterday I was of the firm opinion that this was a SC24 spot even though the polarity seemed to indicate SC23. As the spot has now rotated into a better view, it looks more and more like a SC23 spot. Now, spot groups sometimes rotate [not the usual solar rotation] so it is tough to say. Also 3% of all groups have ‘reversed’ polarity [probably because they rotated]. All in all, this is a difficult call. What is interesting is that the group looks healthy and strong in the magnetic field but anemic in visual. Could this be a sign of the poor contrast that L&P speculate? We’ll see what Bill Livingston says if he gets a chance to observe the spot.
“There’s a little black spot on the sun today
It’s the same old thing as yesterday
There’s a black hat caught in a high tree top
There’s a flag-pole rag and the wind won’t stop.”
Sting, King of Pain
As I noted yesterday, “…another possible SC23 event. Seems to be rather high in latitude for this late in the cycle. It has gotten a bit stronger throughout the day today, though it remains to be seen if this will even develop into a sunspeck.” Well, I guess the question as to whether this would develop into something visible has been answered. The latest magnetogram is still showing black leading white, though it’s not quite as unambiguous appearing as yesterday. NOAA is also reporting on this as sunspot activity:
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/alerts/solar_indices.html
Also, in the latest continuum image from SOHO, the sunspeck appears to be a bit weaker {1600 UT} than in the image in this thread.
Jan Janssens (4 October 08)
“… This can possibly still be a high latitude SC23-group…”
Dr. Tony Phillips ( http://spaceweather.com )
” The high southern latitude of the active region means it is probably a member of new Solar Cycle 24. ”
Leif Svalgaard (11:44:22) :
“…All in all, this is a difficult call…”
Leif Svalgaard (11:44:22) :
” Could this be a sign of the poor contrast that L&P speculate? ”
This does seem to be (visually) the weakest of weak specks yet.
Is it ON the L & P decreasing contrast line, or below it (i.e. is the contrast decrease accelerating)?
John-X (12:20:16) :
” Could this be a sign of the poor contrast that L&P speculate? ”
This does seem to be (visually) the weakest of weak specks yet.
Is it ON the L & P decreasing contrast line, or below it (i.e. is the contrast decrease accelerating)?
We won’t know until Bill L measures it. The trend is for higher temperature [disappearance of the hydroxyl lines] and thus lower contrast, making the spots harder to see.
In light of this interesting yet at the same time rather slow development, you may go here to read this excellent speech on freedom by Vaclav Klaus, Czech President. Here he makes the superb point that, of all things, “global warming” is an assault on freedom. Something in keeping with the spirit of this blog and its commenters.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?ff0796e1-e571-4b15-9d0a-1d53dff2a6bc
Could someone tell me…
Would we have been able to see “Specks” of this size a hundred years ago or do we only see them now due to the technology of our observation equipment.
Thanks
OT. We just had a BBC TV programme here about the possibility that Britain is often hit by small tsunamis. Evidence seems to suggest that a number of tsunamis from 1,000 years ago up until 1854 resulted in deaths and destruction with the South West taking the majority of the hits. The (BBC) programme was ended by the presenter saying that with climate change Britain could be hit more due to higher sea levels creating higher pressures on the sea bed, and therefore more bed movement. How about that then? Even on a programme about earthquakes and tsunamis, the good old BBC still manage a little scare about climate change!
There was a fairly large solar flare/prominence on September 29th, 2008 (beyond the rim of the Sun and facing away from the Earth) which was captured by the Stereo Ahead satellite (ahead of the Earth in the orbit and as such sees beyond the rim of the Sun on the right.)
The prominence is probably related to the sunspot group we were watching last week as its high northern latitude matches up. Maybe the Sun is actually waking up.
Great mov movie of the flare/prominence here.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0810/304erupt_rt_crop1024_med.mov
Tom hall (12:58:51) :
Would we have been able to see “Specks” of this size a hundred years ago or do we only see them now due to the technology of our observation equipment.
Yes we would. One of the best solar telescopes in existence today was built in 1912. Now, if we go back two hundred years or three hundred, the answer is no, although from 1850 on we would have seen them. A different question is if we would have counted the speck, and before 1893, the answer is no.
Would that spot (and many like it) have been spotted before we had all these new imaging systems? It seems to me, as a layman, that sunpots recorded in modern times have no bearing on sunspots recorded throughout history. Am I missing something here, because it would suggest that this would still be recorded as spotless? Is that correct?
Bobby Lane (12:50:58) :
” Here [Vaclav Klaus, Czech President] makes the superb point that, of all things, “global warming” is an assault on freedom. ”
Having lived under communism, he quickly recognized the parallels between the communist urge to control everyone and everything, and the “need” to limit freedom of choice (especially economic freedom of choice), in order to “save the planet.”
This past week we learned that meat and milk must be strictly rationed, not because of any shortages, but to “save the planet.”
What you can drive has to be chosen for you, what you can eat must be chosen for you, what’s next?
Oh, how silly of me. What you can THINK must be chosen for you.
Save the Planet!
Freedom is Slavery!
Take a breath John. You can rely on climate variability. Each generation must make the same mistake and correct it over and over again. Your freedom will return. Cap and trade will be sent to the junkbond basement within my lifetime and yours if you are half a century old and relatively healthy. Have some chocolate. It will put you in a better mood.
The speck has now become invisible:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/mdi_igr/1024/latest.html
But Pamela,
What about us old farts who have seen 50 then 60 come and go? When all I can have is bread (soy of course) and water, it’d be nice to look forward to a last meal of a good steak (cow, not soy).
Mike
Pamela Gray
“Cap and trade will be sent to the junkbond basement within my lifetime and yours if you are half a century old and relatively healthy.”
I am going to need some help to make it for another 25 years and I cannot eat chocolate so if I can be wired up just right I might make it and a few “watts” may really help.
Pamela Gray (14:40:13) :
” Have some chocolate. It will put you in a better mood. ”
I ALWAYS eat chocolate (antioxidants, dontcha know). This is one of my heroines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment
Two Pounds of chocolate a week! And a glass of port with lunch and dinner.
But I take my chocolate straight – 100% nothing added, so I only need about 8 ounces a week.
You on the other hand, should have a latte’
You might be less sanguine if you got up to Seattle and Portland more often.
Things’ll look quite different than they do from yer porch out there in Enterprise (are you a trekkie?)
John-X (15:33:40) :
This is one of my heroines: Jeanne_Calment
She was once interviewed about her age and the journalist asked: “are you not bothered by wrinkles”. Her answer: “Young man, I have only one wrinkle and I’m sitting on it!”
Leif Svalgaard (14:58:09) :
“The speck has now become invisible ”
We’re going to have to start timing these things.
Who has a stopwatch?
Sanguine is exactly why I moved back to my home town. The Willamette Valley I-5 corridor gets overheated about everything from field burning to guns. The pace was just too fast, the buy-buy-buy on credit-credit-credit mentality out of control, and the vast array of buying choices made my head ache when I entered a Target store. In the stores I now shop in, we have 3 choices of shampoo, not 50. If I want bluejeans, there is only one choice: men’s sizes. If I want socks, I better learn how to knit again. And if the country is in a frothin fit over something, we just mull it over at the local tavern and wonder at the amount of stress other people must be feelin, cuz we sure don’t feel it here.