Comments on: Is the Sun Pulling a Rip Van Winkle?

By: Ben Burress

Ben Burress — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:14:06 +0000

Last time I checked, in general climate change models still favor warming at present time. The current "deep sleep" of the solar cycle is, at this time, not anticipated to continue much longer, and the next solar maximum is expected some time around 2012 or 2013.

By: tony

tony — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:03:43 +0000

is that why the climate change models have changed from global warming to global cooling?

By: Ben Burress

Ben Burress — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:57:31 +0000

In short, we have pictures…. Since the invention of the telescope (1608), we have had the ability to observe and record sunspots on the Sun with enough accuracy for a reliable picture of solar activity to emerge. In the first few decades, observations were done but not very regularly–still, regularly enough and by enough different people to reveal the sunspot activity cycle. Most of the observers recorded what they saw as drawings of sunspots, so we have a good record of sunspot activity going back almsot 400 years.

By: Sim

Sim — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:12:32 +0000

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- How can we even know that in the 17th hundreds, they were able to accurately observe the suns activity?
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