Having been keeping an eye on and photographing sunspots for a while now, this article confirms what I've been seeing as far as solar activity in this current cycle.  And implications are for a weak Cycle 25 as well.  (We are currently in Cycle 24 which should peak in 2013)

http://www.space.com/11960-fad…..cycle.html

A minimum on the level of the Maunder is possible although it's a bit too early to go that far probably.  Nevertheless, there are implications for the effect on global mean temp so don't throw out your coats and gloves yet.

Solar Maximum is only about two years off and there have been times in the past (previous cycles) where large percentages of the disc were darkened with spots.  Here is my shot from this morning  showing spots 1234 and 1236, a rather small percentage I'd say!

And Mann (who else) rebuts the possibility of cooling:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscie…..m-climate/

This afternoon's sun.  This is the most activity I've seen in a LONG time.

Post edited 9:07 am – July 30, 2011 by blinddog

20 meters is open today. N.C. USA (em95ne) to Bogota, Colombia @ 50 watts using a vertical.

Post edited 8:31 pm – July 30, 2011 by blinddog

Solar flux: 113

A-Index: 11

Sun Spots: 88

Geomag field: unsettled

Signal Noise S2-S3

Odd contacts on 17 meters, Caicos and Mexico @ 1520 local, just a few minutes later contacts with Norway and Germany. The latter I can understand because of grayline.

The former is odd for that time of day while running QRP.

Cycle 24 is definitely going to be different. 

Edit: Just to return to what Learjet had to say about vhf.

        It's dead everywhere, not just downunder.

Is your UTC offset +10?  Would make your trace at about Event+25hrs?  Would be a bit quick although we've had a few high M-class ones in the last few days, too.  I believe the burst in 1859 made it here in about 18 hours, though, but a lot of that was due to the "air being cleared" before it already by a previous burst.  I still wouldn't rule out ghosts or even ghost-Krakens   (Or is that, in this case, a Kraklin?)

Interesting, the geomag indices don't look very unusual.  At least nothing out of the ordinary over even the last 30 days.  But if you got it with the Trifield it has to be paranormal, doesn't it?

I have to wonder how many groups out there waving meters around pay ANY attention to space weather?  The X-class on the 9th was the largest since the end of 2006.

1263 has rotated to the extreme edge of the sun and is fast disappearing.  There are two new regions of spots that have popped up but they are pretty benign at the moment and things are tailing off pretty quick.  10.7cm flux is under the 90-day average and the monthly average is well under the low range of the predictions (and has been continually that way for May thru present although Mar and Apr were above the high range of the forecast.

Below is a graph I've put together comparing cycles 23 and 24 to 4 and 5 (5 was near the start of the Dalton Minimum at the end of the 18th century)  I've aligned the graph on the minima between 23 and 24 and between 4 and 5 (so the peaks of 23 and 4 will not be aligned but those of 24 and 5 are)  Data are current through this morning so the August point is based upon 1/3 of the month.