On Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:47:06 -0600, "David G. Nagel"
wrote:

Dave wrote:
Art Unwin wrote:


Remember that it is predicted that our world will flip with respect to
the poles
thus the zenith of sun spots will alter by eleven years. Best to learn
to swim before that happens. Last thing I heard was the magnetic pole
was in Siberia and still going away. Hopefully there is
still time for the poles to change their minds and return.
Art
Art

The Earth's magnetic field does not affect when sunspots happen.
Actually the northern magnetic pole is in Eastern Northern Canada and
progressing slowly eastward.

The current sunspot cycle is merely slow in appearing. The 11 year cycle
is only an average. Some cycles are less than 11 yrs and some are longer.

Dave

Actually there are a lot of solar cycles, 7 year, 11 year, 13 year,
and more. Not all have much to do with sunspots though. One is
correlated with human heartbeat for no reasonable reason.

A planetary magnetic minimum may produce much higher ionization in the
ionosphere. No bets on any of this, just wild speculation.