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To: Think4Yourself who wrote (123686)8/26/2009 5:33:41 PM
From: CusterInvestor2 Recommendations  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 206325
 
John, you might find this interesting, I know it raised some questions for me.
We have now gone 46 days without sunspots.
spaceweather.com
A short blurb in "The Week"

Where clouds begin
Clouds are as common as day, but scientists don’t fully understand how they form. One theory is that water molecules attach to floating particles of pollen or dust, and then gather by the trillions to form clouds. But a prominent Danish physicist suggests that clouds may actually have their origin in outer space. Henrik Svensmark argues that water molecules in Earth’s atmosphere are stripped of their electrons by cosmic rays—fast-moving atomic particles from deep space—and turned into electrically charged ions. Like little magnets, these ions then attract other water molecules and eventually form clouds. Three years ago, Svensmark demonstrated the effect in the lab; recently he bolstered his case by analyzing 22 years of weather-satellite data. Svensmark found that Earth’s cloud cover dropped significantly during certain solar storms, when the sun blasts a wave of superhot particles at Earth and temporarily shields the planet from cloud-forming cosmic rays. The finding is “astonishing,” Norwegian geoscientist Jón Egill Kristjánsson, who has pursued similar research for years, tells ScienceNOW. If other observations back them up, “Svensmark’s new results would greatly strengthen the case for a cosmic ray–
cloud connection.’’



To: Think4Yourself who wrote (123686)8/26/2009 9:35:18 PM
From: tom pope  Respond to of 206325
 
Scary for Europe, certainly, if the Gulf Stream is affected. The Brits will have to learn Inuit.

On reflection it wouldn't matter. Their current dialect is already ununderstandable.



To: Think4Yourself who wrote (123686)8/26/2009 10:40:20 PM
From: LoneClone  Respond to of 206325
 
John, here's a good spot for following sunspots and the like -- spaceweather.com

LC