The lack of sunspots for the past two years have baffled scientists. Some scientists have gone on to say that the sun’s current solar minimum may lead to a long period without sunspots (not since the 17th century). Today, two scientists may have an explanation regarding the present state of the sun. Rachel Howe and Frank Hill of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, Arizona, utilized an astronomy technique called helioseismology or rather the study of wave oscillations in the Sun to demonstrate otherwise. They both presented research at the American Astronomy society suggesting that a jet stream deep within the sun seems has slowed down through the star’s interior, thus the lack of sunspots. Helioseismology can sense 7,000km below the surface of the sun, allowing both Howe and Hill to follow the sun’s jet stream. Both Howe and Hill proposed that the Sun creates new jet streams every eleven years around the poles which progressively move toward the equator. As the new jet stream makes its way towards the equator, 22 degrees latitude seems to mark the creation of new sunspots. Dubbed the ‘critical latitude,’ Hill suggests “that just as this sluggish stream reaches the usual active latitude of 22 degrees, a year late, we finally begin to see new groups of sunspots emerging.”
Later in the year, NASA plans on launching the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SED)to further study and perhaps further support both Howe and Hill’s proposal. Dean Pesnell of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center believes the observatory will perhaps answer questions on “how jet streams trigger sunspot production” or “how the jet streams themselves are generated.” Perhaps in the future, we could predict the sun’s solar cycles.
