Word: sun-spot
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Astronomers suspect that the ionosphere itself may be a radio transmitter, and University astronomers hope to confirm this. They are also trying to find out how radio noise from the earth and its ionosphere fluctuates between day and night, and from latitude to latitude, and how such phenomena as sun-spot activity and solar flares influence its intensity...
...choosing 1957-58 as as Geophysical Year was the anticipation of great solar activity--sunspots, flares and "plages" many times the size of the earth--which occurs in roughly eleven year cycles. As long ago as 1946, scientists were looking forward to last year as another peak in the sun-spot cycle; they were amply rewarded, for both 1946-47 and 1957-58 turned in high sunspot peaks. Donald H. Menzel, Director of the Harvard College Observatory, and long a specialist in solar research, agreed that the Sun cooperated beautifully during its intensive examination. In fact the sun could...
According to a Naval spokesman, the satellite contained an instrument designed to measure the sun's output of X-rays and broadcast its findings to earth. This research would aid in discovering the cause of sun-spot interference on radio waves...
...explanation of the sun-spot influence, Professor Stetson states, is that a sun-spot is nothing less than a gigantic solar cyclone, of the same nature as those which occur in the United States, but characterized by terrific electrical charges. These bodies are set in rotation during a storm, forming a veritable dynamo. The powerful magnetic field thus developed extends out into space and often disturbs radio, cable, and telegraph lines of the earth. Within recent years it has become possible to actually measure the field strength of these solar storms by means of a careful analysis of the spectrum...
...addition to recording the variations effected in radio reception during a sun-spot cycle, the new apparatus will assist the Laboratory in keeping a record of the sun-spot observations. And in connection with both studies, a specially designed photographic apparatus constructed at the Laboratory will be used to locate the position and size of the spots...