• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.325-331
• /
• 2015

We study an association between the duration of solar activity and characteristics of the latitude distribution of sunspots by means of center-of-latitude (COL) of sunspots observed during the period from 1878 to 2008 spanning solar cycles 12 to 23. We first calculate COL by taking the area-weighted mean latitude of sunspots for each calendar month to determine the latitudinal distribution of COL of sunspots appearing in the long and short cycles separately. The data set for the long solar cycles consists of the solar cycles 12, 13, 14, 20, and 23. The short solar cycles include the solar cycles 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, and 22. We then fit a double Gaussian function to compare properties of the latitudinal distribution resulting from the two data sets. Our main findings are as follows: (1) The main component of the double Gaussian function does not show any significant change in the central position and in the full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM), except in the amplitude. They are all centered at ~ 11° with FWHM of ~ 5°. (2) The secondary component of the double Gaussian function at higher latitudes seems to differ in that even though their width remains fixed at ~ 4°, their central position peaks at ~ 22.1° for the short cycles and at ~ 20.7° for the long cycles with quite small errors. (3) No significant correlation could be established between the duration of an individual cycle and the parameters of the double Gaussian. Finally, we conclude by briefly discussing the implications of these findings on the issue of the cycle 4 concerning a lost cycle.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.23-29
• /
• 2021

Utilizing a new version of the sunspot number and group sunspot number dataset available since 2015, we have statistically studied the relationship between solar activity parameters describing solar cycles and the slope of the linear relationship between the monthly sunspot numbers and the monthly number of active days in percentage (AD). As an effort of evaluating possibilities in use of the number of active days to predict solar activity, it is worthwhile to revisit and extend the analysis performed earlier. In calculating the Pearson's linear correlation coefficient r, the Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient rs, and the Kendall's τ coefficient with the rejection probability, we have calculated the slope for a given solar cycle in three different ways, namely, by counting the spotless day that occurred during the ascending phase and the descending phase of the solar cycle separately, and during the period corresponding to solar minimum ± 2 years as well. We have found that the maximum solar sunspot number of a given solar cycle and the duration of the ascending phase are hardly correlated with the slope of a linear function of the monthly sunspot numbers and AD. On the other hand, the duration of a solar cycle is found to be marginally correlated with the slope with the rejection probabilities less than a couple of percent. We have also attempted to compare the relation of the monthly sunspot numbers with AD for the even and odd solar cycles. It is inconclusive, however, that the slopes of the linear relationship between the monthly group numbers and AD are subject to the even and odd solar cycles.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.47.1-47.1
• /
• 2018

Solar cycles are inherent to the Sun, which experiences temporal changes in its magnetic activity via the surface distribution of the solar magnetic field. This raises a fundamental question of how to derive the distribution characteristics of a solar-surface magnetic field that are responsible for individual solar cycles. We present a new approach to deriving as long-term and large-scale distribution characteristics of this quantity as was ever obtained; that is, we conducted a population ecological analysis of Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) Synoptic Charts which provide a more than 40-year time series of latitude-longitude maps of solar-surface magnetic fields. In this approach, solar-surface magnetic fields are assumed as hypothetical trees with magnetic polarities (magnetic trees) distributed on the Sun. Accordingly, we identified a peculiarity of cycle 23 with a longer period than an average period of 11 years; specifically we found that the negative surface magnetic field had much more clumped distributions than the positive surface magnetic field during the first one-third of this cycle, while the latter was dominant over the former. The Sun eventually spent more than one-third of cycle 23 recovering from these imbalances.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.101-106
• /
• 2013

The length of solar cycle 23 has been prolonged up to about 13 years. Many studies have speculated that the solar cycle 23/24 minimum will indicate the onset of a grand minimum of solar activity, such as the Maunder Minimum. We check the trends of solar (sunspot number, solar magnetic fields, total solar irradiance, solar radio flux, and frequency of solar X-ray flare), interplanetary (interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind and galactic cosmic ray intensity), and geomagnetic (Ap index) parameters (SIG parameters) during solar cycles 21-24. Most SIG parameters during the period of the solar cycle 23/24 minimum have remarkably low values. Since the 1970s, the space environment has been monitored by ground observatories and satellites. Such prevalently low values of SIG parameters have never been seen. We suggest that these unprecedented conditions of SIG parameters originate from the weakened solar magnetic fields. Meanwhile, the deep 23/24 solar cycle minimum might be the portent of a grand minimum in which the global mean temperature of the lower atmosphere is as low as in the period of Dalton or Maunder minimum.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.219-225
• /
• 2018

Cosmic rays are ions that move at relativistic speeds. They generate secondary cosmic rays by successive collisions with atmospheric particles, and then, the secondary particles reach the ground. The secondary particles are mainly neutrons and muons, and the neutrons are observed by the ground neutron monitor. This study compared the diurnal variation in cosmic ray intensity obtained via harmonic analysis and that obtained through the pile-up method, which was examined in a previous study. In addition, we analyzed the maximum phase of the diurnal variation using four neutron monitors with a cutoff rigidity below approximately 6 GV, located at similar longitudes to the Oulu and Rome neutron monitors. Expanding the data of solar cycles 20-24, we examined the time of the maximum cosmic ray intensity, that is, the maximum phase regarding the solar cyclic modulation. During solar cycles 20-24, the maximum phase derived by harmonic analysis showed no significant difference with that derived by the pile-up method. Thus, the pile-up method, a relatively straightforward process to analyze diurnal variation, could replace the complex harmonic analysis. In addition, the maximum phase at six neutron monitors shows the 22-year cyclic variation very clearly. The maximum phase tends to appear earlier and increase the width of the variation in solar cycles as the cutoff rigidity increases.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
• /
• 2009.10a
• /
• pp.26.1-26.1
• /
• 2009

Many solar, interplanetary and geomagnetic activity parameters have 11-year cycle on the average in sync with solar sunspot number. The galactic cosmic ray (GCR) intensity measured by ground Neutron Monitor (NM) is one of those parameters showing the unprecedented activity levels in the current solar minimum (2008-2009) of solar cycles 23/24. We defined abnormality as the ratio of deviation from long term mean over mean amplitude of solar cycle change. The abnormality distribution map was drawn using all the data of NM stations available online. The implications of those unprecedented levels of GCR intensities of different cutoff rigidities will be discussed.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.163-168
• /
• 2013

Parameters associated with solar minimum have been studied to relate them to solar activity at solar maximum so that one could possibly predict behaviors of an upcoming solar cycle. The number of active days has been known as a reliable indicator of solar activity around solar minimum. Active days are days with sunspots reported on the solar disk. In this work, we have explored the relationship between the sunspot numbers at solar maximum and the characteristics of the monthly number of active days. Specifically, we have statistically examined how the maximum monthly sunspot number of a given solar cycle is correlated with the slope of the linear relationship between monthly sunspot numbers and the monthly number of active days for the corresponding solar cycle. We have calculated the linear correlation coefficient r and the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient $r_s$ for data sets prepared under various conditions. Even though marginal correlations are found, they turn out to be insufficiently significant (r ~ 0.3). Nonetheless, we have confirmed that the slope of the linear relationship between monthly sunspot numbers and the monthly number of active days is less steep when solar cycles belonging to the "Modern Maximum" are considered compared with rests of solar cycles. We conclude, therefore, that the slope of the linear relationship between monthly sunspot numbers and the monthly number of active days is indeed dependent on the solar activity at its maxima, but that this simple relationship should be insufficient as a valid method to predict the following solar activity amplitude.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.125-135
• /
• 2023

Here, we investigated the observed sunspot areas with respect to latitudes using the Hilbert transform technique. Conventional study of the cyclic patterns of sunspots is based on the Lomb-Scargle periodogram, which only obtains the amplitude information. In comparison, our approach characterizes the amplitude as well as the phase of solar activity. We demonstrated the solar North-South asymmetry in the instantaneous amplitude by analyzing daily sunspot data set spanning from the solar cycles 11 to 24. Our findings confirm that the northern hemisphere is dominant in the solar cycles 14, 15, 16, 18, and 20. Unlike the amplitude, the North-South asymmetry in the period of solar activity could not be established. We have also found that the standard deviation as a measure of fluctuation in the phase derivative is minimum in the latitude band 10° < l < 20°, and the fluctuations obtained for latitudes above 30° are considerable.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.29 no.6 s.107
• /
• pp.521-530
• /
• 2004

The solar powered water pump is very ideal equipment because solar power is more intensive when the water is more needed in summer and it is very helpful in the rural area, in which electrical power is not available. The average solar radiation power is $3.488\;kWh/(m^2{\cdot}day)$ in Korea. In this study, the experimental system of the water pump driven by the radiation energy were designed, assembled, tested and analyzed fur realizing the solar powered water pump. Energy conversion ken radiation energy to mechanical energy by using n-pentane as operating material was done and the water pumping cycles were able to be continued. The quantity of the water pumped per cycle ranged from 2 L to 10 L depending on the level of the valve open area far the vapour supply. The average quantity was about 4,366 cc. The thermal efficiency was about $0.018\%$. The pressure level of the n-pentane vapour in flash tank was about $110\~150\;kPa$ and that in the water tank was $93\~130\;kPa$. The pressure in the condenser during cycles was maintained as about 70 kPa. The condensation of the n-pentane vapour in the water tank was increased with the cycles even though the internal and external insulation were done. Air tank performance was better with increasing of the water piston displacement and the water could be pumped with the water piston displacement becoming higher than 6,500 cc.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.241-246
• /
• 2013

We have investigated drought periodicities occurred in Seoul to find out any indication of relationship between drought in Korea and solar activities. It is motivated, in view of solar-terrestrial connection, to search for an example of extreme weather condition controlled by solar activity. The periodicity of drought in Seoul has been re-examined using the wavelet transform technique as the consensus is not achieved yet. The reason we have chosen Seoul is because daily precipitation was recorded for longer than 200 years, which meets our requirement that analyses of drought frequency demand long-term historical data to ensure reliable estimates. We have examined three types of time series of the Effective Drought Index (EDI). We have directly analyzed EDI time series in the first place. And we have constructed and analyzed time series of histogram in which the number of days whose EDI is less than -1.5 for a given month of the year is given as a function of time, and one in which the number of occasions where EDI values of three consecutive days are all less than -1.5 is given as a function of time. All the time series data sets we analyzed are periodic. Apart from the annual cycle due to seasonal variations, periodicities shorter than the 11 year sunspot cycle, ~ 3, ~ 4, ~ 6 years, have been confirmed. Periodicities to which theses short periodicities (shorter than Hale period) may be corresponding are not yet known. Longer periodicities possibly related to Gleissberg cycles, ~ 55, ~ 120 years, can be also seen. However, periodicity comparable to the 11 year solar cycle seems absent in both EDI and the constructed data sets.