Briefing: Sunspot Cycle
Tuesday-morning's news briefing — "What's Happening to the Sunspot Cycle?" — was the second to focus exclusively on solar physics. Richard S. Bogart (Stanford University) discussed recent trends in the north-south subsurface asymmetry and meridional flow. Richard C. Altrock (Air Force Research Laboratory) reported on the solar corona's temperature during the rise of the current magnetic cycle. Sarbani Basu (Yale University) put the current solar cycle in historical context. David F. Webb (Boston College) disputed an earlier claim that coronal mass ejection rates and sunspot numbers have been diverging. AAS Solar Physics Division (SPD) Press Officer Craig DeForest (Southwest Research Institute), at right, helped organize the two solar-themed press conferences. AAS photo © 2014 Joson Images.