Hi Colin. Others have been telling me of unusual solar activities happening soon what do you know about them? Your last blog was in May?
I commented there but perhaps I need to add a few more reflections here.
Indeed many have noticed an apparent increase in some very "unusual solar activity". Now this might simply be because we are observing the sun more intensely than ever before with much more sophisticated technologies than we had hitherto. Secondly one notes that perhaps what one is observing is not all that unusual. Solar activities have caught the attention of astronomers now for several centuries but it is the intensity and frequency of these that might be curious and catch our attention now.
"The Sun is churning with activity, today," reported the CQ Amateur Radio Magazine Facebook page a day or two ago. Radio Amateurs take a special interest in solar activity because we are interested in its effects on radio propagation and communication at short wave frequencies. "Churning" is perhaps putting it mildly. The sun right now is a seething cauldron. Lately the sun has been in a state of incredible agitation and disturbance.
Photo: Sunspotwatch
Following an unexpected period of dormancy the Sun has suddenly awakened from its deep slumbers and been unusually active of late. You can follow it at http://sunspotwatch.com/ and http://spaceweather.com/ Also see http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/category/space-weather-2/. There has been lots of spectacular solar flare activity and many incredible photos and videos.
Please note that the direct observation of the Sun's surface with or without an optical device is extremely dangerous, and "requires both knowledge and close attention to safety precautions." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunspot
I am asked, "What do I know about them?" Quite frankly, nothing! I don't think anybody really does. We know so little. Even those said to be in the know are merely scratching at the surface. Many are mystified. Indeed the entire Universe is one amazing, unbelievable mystery! I have just been reading a fascinating article titled "31% of Universe Is 'Pure Mystery' and the Brightest Places in the Universe". Read it in order to learn a little bit more.
On a more esoteric note, some have attributed this sudden increase in Sun Spot turbulence; Earthquakes; Volcanoes; Hurricanes; Political and Economic Upheaval; etc to the now disintegrating Comet Elenin alluded to in my previous blog. For more about this check the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision. Much of that is purely channeled speculation and the re-presentation of ancient Sumerian mythology and remains unsubstantiated by current scientific observation. Nevertheless the human spirit is insatiably intuitive and curious and should not, in my view, simply be discounted or disregarded. Intuition, dreams, and wonder are often the gateways to hitherto never before realised scientific discoveries.
Mysterious, awesome, astonishing, beautiful, alarming as these very unusual Solar Events may appear I am reminded of something Emerson once said, "Oh man! There is no planet sun or star could hold you, if you but knew what you are." Indeed! We too easily discount ourselves as mere grovelling earthlings when really, we are celestial beings beyond comprehension.
One also looks with awe at the massive outbursts and disturbances out there in the cosmos and one has the distinct feeling that one is witnessing events within one's own seething fractured self. As Jan Smuts once said, "There is a crack that runs through the universe and that crack runs through me." The Universe is one enormous mirror in which we see ourselves and our own individual and planetary conditions reflected.
[Apologies for not blogging since May! May I blame it on Solar Flare Activity? As has been reported there have been power grid outages in some places. Communication satellites have had to be disabled. GPS has been behaving erratically misguiding many of us. All attributed to these recent Solar Storms we are now observing. I must have experienced something of a Solar triggered Writer's Block!]
For further reading:
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunspot
©Colin G Garvie HomePage: http://www.garvies.co.za
The Ancient Study of Sunspot (Sic) in China and Its Modern Application (Zhongguo Gudai Taiyang Dianzi Yenjiu Yu Xiandai Yingyong)
