The Sun Dimmed, Little Ice Age on Earth

The lack of bright spots on the sun allegedly has contributed to the frozen period, known as the "little ice age" in mid-millennium ago.

In the 1500's until the 1800s, most of Europe and North America experienced a period of very cold (little ice age). Coldest part of the period coincided with a period of 75 years, beginning in 1645, when astronomers detected the scarcity of sunspots, a period that is now referred to as the Maunder Minimum. Numerous previous studies have speculated about whether the decline in solar activity seen during the Maunder Minimum is likely helped cause the little ice age. Although sunspots were cold-dark regions on the sun-they indicate the general absence of solar activity has decreased. Now scientists increasingly suspect that at least bright spots called faculae on the sun at the same time. The event has the potential to reduce the brilliance of the sun, which is enough to cool the earth. "The decline in the number of faculae in the 17th century may have dimmed the sun up to 0.2 percent, large enough to help trigger a short radical climate shifts on Earth," said Peter Foukal, solar physicist at the Institute for Research Heliophysics in Nahant, Massachusetts. "The sun may be much dimmer than our expectations." Foukal stressed that the dimming is probably not the primary cause and the only period during the little ice cold. "At that time also influenced the effects of volcanic, volcano eruptions are very large," he said. Foukal warned that the discovery of solar activity can not be applied to global warming, is happening as it is today. "Increased solar activity has nothing to do with global warming, which is seen in the last 100 years," he said .*** [LIVESCIENCE | KORAN TEMPO 3560]