According to Spaceweather.com a ’sunspot is emerging’ although it has not yet been officially numbered. This looks like it might break the recent 12 day spotless streak. The sunspot number is currently 12.
If this is the start of a significant sunspot (and it doesn’t subside and amount to nothing) then I’m hoping it is the start of a little solar activity just in time for the CQ WW WPX Contest next weekend (29-30th May).
A little help from the sun would be nice and might just lead to some new ones being logged!
Dean Amateur Radio contest, CW, propagation, sunspots, WPX
Spaceweather.com is a site worth checking out. The site provides lots of really useful information about sunspot numbers, auroral sightings, atmospheric phenomena and of course ’space weather’.
The list of topics covered is not limited to those listed in the preceding paragraph - in fact if you’re interested in science at all you’ll likely find something of interest and you’ll very probably learn something that you previously didn’t know. Check it out - it’s well worth a look!
Dean Totally random SpaceWeather, sunspots
In case you have ever wondered, as I have, just how long it takes for sunspots to affect shortwave conditions here on earth, this is currently the subject of a discussion thread in the DXing forum over at eHam.net. Interesting!
Dean Amateur Radio, Totally random DX, propagation, sunspots
I’ve seen some reports recently from amateur radio operators around the world that band conditions are improving. Certainly on the higher frequency bands (20m and up) there seems to be some excitement as more DX is worked when this just wasn’t possible in 2009.
Spaceweather.com seems to bear this out. The calculated sunspot number is currently 40 which is as high as I’ve seen it in a long time. Bear in mind that this is about 15 times more than the number of actual visible sunspots (which today stands at three, sunspots 1051, 1052 and 1053). The data also shows that 2010 so far has only 3% spotless days versus 2009 which had over 70% of days with no sunspots.
It does very much look like propagation and band conditions are slowly climbing out of the doldrums as cycle 24 picks up.
Dean Amateur Radio, Totally random propagation, Solar Cycle 24, sunspots
From SpaceWeather.com:
Two sunspots (1032/1033) are emerging in the sun’s northern hemisphere. Both are members of new Solar Cycle 24. Sunspot 1032 appears to be the reincarnation of old sunspot 1029.
Dean Amateur Radio, Blog Solar Cycle 24, sunspots