Tuesday, September 23

Curiouser and curiouser


Within the last decade, solar wind pressure has decreased 20%. This weakens the sun's shielding from black holes and supernovas, causing high-energy particles entering our solar system to increase by 20%. Not a threat to mankind at all but, according to this article, "there are controversial studies linking cosmic ray fluxes to cloudiness and climate change on Earth".

Such things have only been tracked for the last 50 years, so no one can tell us what sort of trend into which this event might already fit. This is NOT my area of expertise by any stretch of the imagination. I do find it interesting, though. Global warming is another area that lacks the history to say where it fits into possible trends. Assuming it actually exists, could it be a related trend?

I remember being very intrigued when the kids and I read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In the story, an Indian warns everyone that there is a seven month winter coming. He shared the reason he had determined this information but I've forgotten it and a google search didn't help. He suggested that something like every 7th seven-year cycle was a seven month long winter. That may be totally off from what was actually written, but the idea of cycles like that is still a fascinating one. Just something that makes me wonder.




4 comments:

Jessica said...

interesting, indeed. dan is the science guy in our house and he's got all sorts of knowledge about stuff like this. maybe he would let you pick his brain sometime. :)

Jenni said...

Nope, you got it right. Well, from what I remember without checking. Na and I read the Little House books last year though. I remember him saying every seven years there was a bad winter and at the end of seven of these cycles, or every 49 years, there was a seven month winter. Crap! Has anyone been counting? I hope that's not coming up!

Anonymous said...

You have to remember those long winters were in Minnesota. I made several trips with Larry in the summer and it was always cold there. We had a native say the ran their heat sources even during the summer months. Just a thought. MIL

Ginger said...

I remember in the book, Pa had never seen the muskrat's? nest built with walls so thick. And then an Indian came and told them, I think what Jenni said about the seventh year, and the seventh cycle of that being the worst.... I'd be curious to find out if that was true or was trackable.
Good questions for homeschool science research. :)

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