Papers Submitted in 2011

This is where we post papers as submitted and approved.

On this page, professional quality papers submitted, are given the opportunity of a full posting. Such papers should be submitted to the following e-mail address:

JonathanWest2000@hotmail.com

( Subject: Astro Submission )

Submissions should not be of a great, extended length and should be related to physics in general and/or astrophysics in particular and/or be concerned with the space sciences as a general rule.

Submissions should include the senders full name and address, affiliations, if you wish, and an appropriate phone number. Only the name, and affiliations if given, will be attached to the posted paper. There is no monitary consideration for this endeavor.

We encourage your participation, if you have done a scholarly job of communicating interesting information of a relevant nature to the subject areas of concern to the association and to this web site.

You are thus invited to avail yourself of this opportunity.

( Note: We realize that the quality suggested is obvious to most of you. It is presented primarily for those who may be unaware of the requirements for professional submissions.)

Approved submissions are as follows:

March 02, 2011

NASA-SPONSORED RESEARCH EXPLAINS MISSING SUNSPOTS

   NASA-sponsored research has resulted in the first computer model that explains the recent period of decreased solar activity during the sun's 11-year cycle.

   This recent solar minimum, a period

characterized by a lower frequency of sunspots and solar storms, was the deepest observed in almost 100 years. The solar minimum has repercussions on the safety of space travel and the amount of orbital debris our planet accumulates.

   Solar scientists around the world were puzzled by the extended disappearance of sunspots in 2008-2009. Results published in
Thursday's edition of Nature indicate the mystery may be solved.

   "Plasma currents deep inside the sun interfered with the formation of sunspots and prolonged the solar minimum," says lead author Dibyendu Nandi of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in
Kolkata.

   During this deep solar minimum, the sun's magnetic field weakened, allowing cosmic rays to penetrate the solar system in record numbers, making space a more dangerous place to travel. At the same time, the
decrease in ultraviolet radiation caused Earth's upper atmosphere to
cool and collapse.

   As a consequence space debris stopped decaying and started accumulating in Earth orbit due to increased atmospheric drag. These effects demonstrate the importance of understanding the entire solar cycle, during both minimum and maximum.

   Observations from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will eventually provide measurements that could validate the current model and provide the basis for future solar cycle prediction.

   "This research demonstrates how observations from Heliophysics System
Observatory missions stimulate new theories and advance modeling techniques," said Richard Fisher, director of the Heliophysics
Division in NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

This research was funded by NASA's "Living With a Star Program" and the Department of Science and Technology of the government of India.

-- Trent J. Perrotto, NASA

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