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2009 has been declared International Year of Astronomy by the U.N. In keeping with tradition NASA has stepped and fetched. I'm OK with that because I found some really good info on the NASA sites during my search on the subject.
Y'all want to see and read some intriguing stuff? Visit the NASA links to the left. You might find the real time sunspot and solar flare pages (NASA movies) interesting.
We are now at the bottom of the solar cycle and NASA said the new cycle should have started 2 years ago. I find it funny that our government is introducing new electronic systems that rely on transmission and reception (digital TV) when we are entering a solar storm. Fact.
I didn't dream it up. (see >>>--->
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/SunspotCycle.shtml )
And how about the statement that sunspots are similar to hurricanes? Isn't the increase of hurricanes caused by global warming? Did I miss the news flash that said we landed on the sun?
"Using techniques similar to medical ultrasound diagnostics, scientists have peered inside the Sun and discovered what lies beneath sunspots, planet-sized dark areas on the surface of our star. Sunspots are surprisingly shallow, say researchers, and they lie on top of swirling hurricanes of electrified gas big enough to swallow the planet Earth."
NASA source link >>>---> http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast07nov_1.htm
Go out and celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo during this International Year of Astronomy 2009.