“Missing Spots on the Sun: Is Anything Wrong?”
Next Open House Night in Astronomy is Thursday, October 29
Did you know that our sun has regular bouts of solar acne? These unusually dark or bright spots on the sun’s surface are the size of a planet and can mask enough of the sun’s disk to affect our climate on Earth. But no new spots have been detected in almost two years, so what’s up?
“Missing Spots on the Sun: Is Anything Wrong?” will be the topic of the next Open House Night in Astronomy at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Darren Williams, associate professor of physics and astronomy, will discuss the history of sunspot observation and the possible link between sunspots and climate change on Thursday, Oct. 29. His nontechnical presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. in 101 Otto Behrend Science Building and will be followed by telescope viewing from the college’s Mehalso Observatory, weather permitting. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
“The sun is now leaving an extended and unusually quiet period of solar activity—we think,” Williams says. “This causes some scientists to wonder whether these changes on the sun are a symptom of a more significant problem that could affect the wattage of sunlight reaching the Earth.”
Open House Nights in Astronomy are a public outreach program of the School of Science at Penn State Behrend. They are suitable for children 8 years and older. For additional information, phone the school at 814-898-6105.