大黑子群对太阳总辐照度的影响

本文用云南天文台在第２２周太阳活动峰年期间拍摄到的大太阳黑子群照相资料，太阳黑子目视描资料，以及Ｎｉｍｂｕｓ－７卫星上辐射计测量的太阳总辐照度，分别计算了太阳总辐射照度与大黑子群的本影视面积，大黑子群全群视面积和日面上全部黑子的总视面积的相关系数。     

云南天文台太阳黑子照相观测资料处理和相关软件

在建立太阳全日面黑子照相观测系统的基础上对黑子观测资料进行了处理,给出黑子观测的重要数据及相关参数,为太阳物理学家研究太阳活动规律提供和积累最基本的第一手数据。这些数据包括:太阳黑子相对数,南北半球太阳黑子的坐标和黑子群数,太阳黑子的圆面积和球面积等。编写了一个程序,对每天的太阳黑子观测资料进行处理,给出以上物理参数,彻底改变了手工描绘黑子和计算黑子参数的传统方法,同时也提高了黑子资料处理的精度和效率。     

太阳黑子面积数与黑子数指标在大气预报中的应用对比分析

分别应用太阳黑子视面积数和太阳黑子相对数代表太阳活动水平与天津夏季降水总量进行相关分析,结果表明黑子面积指标明显优于黑子数.     

1980年云南天文台太阳黑子面积与太阳常数的变化关系

本文利用SMM/ACRIM辐射计测量到的太阳总流量及云南天文台太阳黑子观测的资料,计算了太阳常数与各类黑子投影面积之间的相关系数。结果表明太阳辐照度与“活动”黑子投影面积之间存在很强的负相关;而和“残留”黑子之间存在着正相关。两种相关和太阳活动区的年龄、发展状态及磁结构有关。 本文再次验证了JUDIT PAP的发现,同时也说明了云台黑子资料的可靠性及通用性。     

云南天文台全日面太阳黑子照相观测系统的建立I.硬件部分

利用云南天文台5吋太阳黑子望远镜,通过光学系统的改装配置佳能数码照相机,建立了对太阳全日面黑子实施高分辨观测的照相装置。照相结果表明大小黑子、本影、半影都清晰可见,可以取代长期以来以手工描迹太阳黑子的传统观测方法。照相观测资料的计算机处理,可给出当日太阳黑子相对数、黑子总的球面积和圆面积等主要参数,有关资料处理及软件问题将另文介绍。     

紫金山天文台55 yr手绘黑子数据系统差分析

对紫金山天文台(简称紫台)自1954年至2011年共55 yr的手描黑子图进行了数字化.将紫台太阳黑子相对数(PRSN)和黑子群数(PGSN)与国际太阳影响数据分析中心(SIDC)中的对应数据(月平均太阳黑子相对数(IRSN)和月平均黑子群数(IGSN))进行对比研究,发现:(1)紫台黑子数据与SIDC黑子数据有很强的正相关性,说明紫台黑子数据的可靠性;(2) PRSN和IRSN、PGSN和IGSN的系统偏差分别处于7%左右、5%左右,紫台数据与SIDC数据在活动周的极小期的差异性显著大于极大期;(3)紫台的视宁度从1995年开始变差,直接导致了PRSN (PGSN)与IRSN (IGSN)的比值明显变大,表明视宁度的变化影响了紫台黑子的观测质量.     

日面新生黑子的经度分布

以云南天文台对５２２个太阳自转周的观测资料统计,在可见日面上新生的黑子,各个太阳活动周出现频数不等。从中筛选出面积ＣＹ≥５００的２２８群,以及ＣＹ≥１２００的２９群,它们分别都在经度上呈相对集中性,但又多随时间变化而漂移,在时间分布上无规律性。在可比的太阳第２１和２２活动周内,新生黑子对应的最强烈活动区只有８１２００和９２ ３９０,另外是８２４９５回转的８２５３３对应在最强烈活区,说明新生大黑子无     

22周上升段太阳射电缓变成分的一些统计特性

本文根据1987年1月—1989年11月期间,2cm、3.4cm、6cm、10.7cm和21.2cm五个波段每日总辐射流量与日面上占主导地位的活动区黑子视面积之间的关系,对第22周上升段若干大活动区的射电缓变成分的统计特性进行了分析研究,发现有几个大活动区在日面时S-Ay图上处在平均曲线之下,当黑子面积增加时,射电流量的增加并不明显。     

日面新生黑子的经度分布

以云南天文台对５２２个太阳自转周的观测资料统计,在可见日面上新生的黑子,各个太阳活动周出现频数不等。从中筛选出面积ＣＹ≥５００的２２８群,以及ＣＹ≥１２００的２９群,它们分别都在经度上呈相对集中性,但又多随时间变化而漂移,在时间分布上无规律性。在可比的太阳第２１和２２活动周内,新生黑子对应的最强烈活动区只有８１２００和９２３９０,另外是８２４９５回转的８２５３３对应在最强烈活区,说明新生大黑子无固定的活动源。     

引人关注的超级大黑子

明亮的太阳表面,时常会出现一些黑斑,天文学家称之为“太阳黑子”。太阳黑子是太阳物理学家热衷的研究对象,关于它仍有许多尚待解决的谜团。天文爱好者对太阳黑子不会陌生,用一个口径10厘米的望远镜,就可以一睹它的芳容。普通百姓或许知道太阳黑子这个天文学名称,若想亲眼看到它却不是一件轻而易举的事情,不过机会还是有的。2014年10月17日至30日,太阳表面就出现了一个特大黑子群,是近24年来最大的,裸眼可以观看。按照天文学家的编号,它为2192号黑子群。     

From Sunspot Area to Solar Variability: A Linear Transformation

The relationship between sunspot area and other observable solar parameters, such as spectral solar irradiance or total magnetic flux, is frequently sought by examining scatterplots of daily data, which generally show a non-linear distribution of points. We show that the scatterplots are consistent with our published result that these observable solar parameters are related to sunspot area by a transformation that is both linear and time invariant, namely by convolution with a finite impulse response function. Most solar parameters are affected by extended active regions, not just by sunspots. The fact that a complex active region evolves much more slowly than its associated sunspots provides a simple physical explanation of the observed non-linearities in scatterplots.     

Total Solar Irradiance Variation During Rapid Sunspot Growth

Large sunspot areas correspond to dips in the total solar irradiance (TSI), a phenomenon associated with the local suppression of convective energy transport in the spot region. This results in a strong correlation between sunspot area and TSI. During the growth phase of a sunspot other physics may affect this correlation; if the physical growth of the sunspot resulted in surface flows affecting the temperature, for example, we might expect to see an anomalous variation in TSI. In this paper we study NOAA active region 8179, in which large sunspots suddenly appeared near disk center, at a time (March 1998) when few competing sunspots or plage regions were present on the visible hemisphere. We find that the area/TSI correlation does not significantly differ from the expected pattern of correlation, a result consistent with a large thermal conductivity in solar convection zone. In addition we have searched for a smaller-scale effect by analyzing white-light images from MDI (the Michelson Doppler Imager) on SOHO. A representative upper-limit energy consistent with the images is on the order of 3×10³¹ ergs, assuming the time scale of the actual spot area growth. This is of the same order of magnitude as the buoyant energy of the spot emergence even if it is shallow. We suggest that detailed image analyses of sunspot growth may therefore show `transient bright rings' at a detectable level.     

A Curious History of Sunspot Penumbrae

Daily records of sunspot group areas compiled by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, from May of 1874 through 1976 indicate a curious history for the penumbral areas of the smaller sunspot groups. On average, the ratio of penumbral area to umbral area in a sunspot group increases from 5 to 6 as the total sunspot group area increases from 100 to 2000 μHem (a μHem is 10^?6 the area of a solar hemisphere). This relationship does not vary substantially with sunspot group latitude or with the phase of the sunspot cycle. However, for the sunspot groups with total areas <?100 μHem, this ratio changes dramatically and systematically through this historical record. The ratio for these smallest sunspots is near 5.5 from 1874 to 1900. After a rapid rise to more than 7 in 1905, it drops smoothly to less than 3 by 1930 and then rises smoothly back to more than 7 in 1961. It then returns to near 5.5 from 1965 to 1976. The smooth variation from 1905 to 1961 shows no indication of any step-like changes that might be attributed to changes in equipment or personnel. The overall level of solar activity was increasing monotonically during this time period when the penumbra-to-umbra area ratio dropped to less than half its peak value and then returned. If this history can be confirmed by other observations (e.g. Mt. Wilson or Kodaikanal), it may impact our understanding of penumbra formation, our dynamo models, and our estimates of historical changes in the solar irradiance.     

A Comparison of Feature Classification Methods for Modeling Solar Irradiance Variation

Physical understanding of total and spectral solar irradiance variation depends upon establishing a connection between the temporal variability of spatially resolved solar structures and spacecraft observations of irradiance. One difficulty in comparing models derived from different data sets is that the many ways for identifying solar features such as faculae, sunspots, quiet Sun, and various types of “network” are not necessarily consistent. To learn more about classification differences and how they affect irradiance models, feature “masks” are compared as derived from five current methods: multidimensional histogram analysis of NASA/National Solar Observatory/Kitt Peak spectromagnetograph data, statistical pattern recognition applied to SOHO/Michelson Doppler Imager photograms and magnetograms, threshold masks allowing for influence of spatial surroundings applied to NSO magnetograms, and “one-trigger” and “three-trigger” algorithms applied to California State University at Northridge Cartesian Full Disk Telescope intensity observations. In general all of the methods point to the same areas of the Sun for labeling sunspots and active-region faculae, and available time series of area measurements from the methods correlate well with each other and with solar irradiance. However, some methods include larger label sets, and there are important differences in detail, with measurements of sunspot area differing by as much as a factor of two. The methods differ substantially regarding inclusion of fine spatial scale in the feature definitions. The implications of these differences for modeling solar irradiance variation are discussed. K.L. Harvey and S.R. Walton are deseased, to whom this paper is dedicated.     

Meridional Motions of Stable Recurrent Sunspot Groups

Stable recurrent sunspot groups from the Greenwich data set which were identified in at least two subsequent solar rotations were traced and meridional motions were determined from the two central meridian passages. In total, 327 meridional velocities were calculated and the results for the northern and the southern solar hemisphere were compared. A dependence of the solar meridional velocity vectors on the development status, latitude and position respectively to the activity belt of sunspots is investigated. The results indicate that sunspot groups are moving on the average away from the center of activity. This was found for sunspot groups growing and decreasing in area.     

The effects of sunspots on solar irradiance

Sunspots have an obvious direct effect upon the visible radiant energy falling upon the Earth. We show how to estimate this effect and compare it quantitatively with recent observations of the solar total irradiance (Willson et al., 1981). The sunspots explain about half of the total observed variance of one-day averages. Since the sunspot effect on irradiance produces an asymmetry of the solar radiation, rather than (necessarily) a variation of the total luminosity, we have also estimated the sunspot population on the invisible hemisphere. This extrapolation allows us to estimate the true luminosity deficit produced by sunspots, in a manner that tends toward the correct long-term average value. We find no evidence for instantaneous global re-emission to compensate for the sunspot flux deficit.     

Automatic Detection of Sunspots and Extractionof Their Feature Parameters

Sunspots are solar features located in active regions of the Sun, whose number is an indicator of the Sun's magnetic activity. With a substantial increase in the quantity of solar image data, the automated detection and verification of various solar features have become increasingly important for the accurate and timely forecasts of solar activity and space weather. In order to use the high time-cadence SDO/HMI data to extract the main sunspot features for forecasting solar activities, we have established an automatic detection method of sunspots based on mathematical morphology, and calculated the sunspot group area and sunspot number. By comparing our results with those obtained from the Solar Region Summary compiled by NOAA/SWPC, it is found that the sunspot group areas and sunspot numbers computed with our algorithm are in good agreement with the active region values released by SWPC, and the corresponding correlation coefficients for the sunspot group area and sunspot number are 0.77 and 0.79, respectively. By using the method of this paper, the high time-cadence feature parameters can be obtained from the HMI data to provide the timely and accurate inputs for the solar activity forecast.     

Sunspot Numbers and Areas from the Madrid Astronomical Observatory (1876 – 1986)

The solar program of the Astronomical Observatory of Madrid started in 1876. Observations were made in this institution to determine sunspot numbers and areas for ten solar cycles. The program was completed in 1986 and the resulting data have been published in various Spanish scientific publications. Four periods of this program (with different observers and instruments) were identified with the aid of the interesting metadata that has been made available. In the present work, the published data were retrieved and digitized. Their subsequent analysis showed that most of these data could be considered reliable given their very high correlation with reference indices (international sunspot number, group sunspot number, and sunspot area). An abrupt change emerged in the sunspots/groups ratio in 1946, which lasted until 1972.     

Correlation Between the Sunspot Number,the Total Solar Irradiance,and the Terrestrial Insolation

Our study deals with the correlations between the solar activity on the one hand and the solar irradiance above the Earth’s atmosphere and at ground level on the other. We analyzed the combined ACRIM I+II time series of the total solar irradiance (TSI), the Mauna Loa time series of terrestrial insolation data, and data of terrestrial cosmic ray fluxes. We find that the correlation between the TSI and the sunspot number is strongly non-linear. We interpret this as the net balance between brightening by faculae and darkening by sunspots where faculae dominate at low activity and sunspots dominate at high activity. Such a behavior is hitherto known from stellar analogs of the Sun in a statistical manner. We perform the same analysis for the Mauna Loa data of terrestrial insolation. Here we find that the linear relation between sunspot number and insolation shows more than 1% rise in insolation by sunspot number variations which is much stronger than for the TSI. Our conclusion is that the Earth atmosphere acts as an amplifier between space and ground, and that the amplification is probably controlled by solar activity. We suspect the cosmic rays intensity as the link between solar activity and atmospheric transparency. A Fourier analysis of the time series of insolation shows three dominant peaks: 10.5, 20.4, and 14.0 years. As a matter of fact, the cosmic rays data show the same pattern of significant peaks: 10.7, 22.4, and 14.9 years. This analogy supports our idea that the cosmic rays variation has influence on the transparency of the Earth atmosphere.