Is there a lot of sun spots going on at the moment

[welsh wizard]

Just wondering if there is an increase in Sun Spots last few days, I know my ISP uses Microwaves to transmit, and the last few days I keep getting timed out trying to access the BB, And I have already tuned down my data stream to try and compensate for errors forceing retransmits. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif
any one else getting problems with this, as I am not getting this problem with UK BB, but I think that may be to do with time of day.
WW

[daveleau]

Well there is supposed to be that magnetic pole reversal but I think it might be a bit early for that. I think it happens this summer. Whether or not it would affect this I don't know.
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/003281.html

Dave

[This message has been edited by daveleau (edited 01-13-2000).]

[welsh wizard]

thanks dave, as we are in summer here, and its a eleven year avent ( last time being 1989) I guess I stuck with it for a while) http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif
WW

[Rick Z.]

I haven't looked to see if WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado has a website. But if you have a shortwave radio and tune it to 2.5Mhz, 5Mhz, 10Mhz, 15Mhz, or 20Mhz at 18mins after each hour they give a report/forecast for Ionospheric/Geomagnetic conditions! This also happen to include the latest sunspot count! Hope this helps.... 28/88

[Dave_H]

WW
Where I live all our phones and dial-up ISP go thru a microwave link, and my cable goes thru a satellite link. I haven't noticed any problems recently.
Dave

[jeana]

Just for you, W.W.!

I'm subscribed to a solar-activity alert newsletter, and most recently they reported the following burst of activity (pasted below). I forget whether the alerts are tailored to geographic region... there may well have been a burst of activity affecting your area.

In general, they stated last year that they expected 2000 to be a peak year for solar activity... I have a solar filter for our telescope and what I can see is very cool (though I can't say for myself whether the activity is unusually high because I just bought the filter last year).

Anyway, there are several Astro-alerts specialty groups (for comets, for planetary viewing, etc.) which are fun to sign up for (as long as you filter them directly to folders: they are very prolific). You can go to the link on the bottom of the message or to www.skyandtelescope.com (http://www.skyandtelescope.com) to sign up for any number of these groups.

Cheers,
jeana
------------------------------------
| |
Middle Latitude | A s t r o A l e r t | 11 January 2000
Aurora WATCH | | 19:30 UTC
----------------- Sun-Earth Alert -------------------


A solar disturbance with the ability to produce possible periods of
visible auroral activity over the middle latitudes arrived today near 14:25
UTC. Solar wind conditions began becoming increasingly favorable for
producing intensified levels of auroral activity near 19:00 UTC. Auroral
activity has intensifed over the high latitude regions at the time of this
writing. Equatorward expansion of the auroral ovals combined with possible
periods of minor auroral storming may provide middle latitude dark-sky
observers with a chance to observe auroral activity under a moonless sky near
and after midnight (your local time) - if current trends continue.


This disturbance is not currently expected to reach strong storm levels,
but could sporadically generate localized substorms capable of producing low
to moderate levels of auroral activity over many middle latitude regions.
Most of the northern tier U.S. states should be able to spot periods of
activity under a dark sky during the local evening hours if current
conditions persist.


This watch will be updated or allowed to expire at 19:00 UTC on 12
January. We expect the disturbance to begin subsiding during the mid-day (UTC
time) hours of 12 January.


OBSERVERS MAY REPORT OR VIEW SIGHTINGS OF ACTIVITY AT:
http://solar.uleth.ca/www/auroras.html


CURRENT AURORAL ACTIVITY SPACECRAFT IMAGERY AND MOVIES ARE AVAILABLE AT:
http://solar.uleth.ca/www/aurora.html


USERS WISHING TO BE NOTIFIED AUTOMATICALLY OF AURORAL ACTIVITY SHOULD VISIT:
http://solar.uleth.ca/www/geolert.html


** End of AstroAlert **



[This message has been edited by jeana (edited 01-14-2000).]

[welsh wizard]

Thanks Jeana,
I think that helps a lot, even the TV station have been have blank spot in their broadcast's of late had one last night went out for 2 minutes, so we must be getting some interferance, and this way I din't go slagging off my ISP as it's not there fualt.
http://www.sysopt.com/forum/biggrin.gif
WW