Walkabout the Galaxy
Sun; solar cycles
Astrophysics and Astronomy | Physics
As the Sun starts getting more active at the beginning of a new solar cycle, new observations of sunlike stars show that the Sun itself may be unusually calm. Good news for life on Earth, but a downer for the astroquarks dreaming of meeting the Vulcans or Klingons sometime soon. Also, we review progress in understanding the large scale structure of the universe and solar trivia.
Troubled by the appearance of spots on aging skin? Rather than applying costly coverups, take your cue from sunspots and embrace a new cycle in your life. Hats, body darkening, signals maturity, wisdom, and a strong magnetic field that inhibits convective heat transport to the photosphere, and resulting in slightly lower temperatures and a darker appearance against a irradiant background. Coming and going every eleven years, sunspots are the source of all energy and life on Earth, remind us that a little spot, or one that is over 100,000 kilometers across, is part of the natural cycle of stellar life. Sunspots, the future is bright, the future is orange.
© Joshua Colwell, All Rights Reserved
Length of Episode
Colwell, Joshua; Dove, Adrienne; and Cooney, James, "Is The Sun a Sunlike Star" (2020). Walkabout the Galaxy Podcast. 119.