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Article: Midwest keeping its coolLack of sunspots may be to blame for low temps
- Article from:
- The Topeka Capital-Journal
- Article date:
- September 21, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Topeka Capital-Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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By Corey Jones
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
The average person doesn't associate coolness with the sun.
The sun releases energy through deep nuclear fusion reactions in
its core and has surface temperatures as hot as 10,000 degrees
Fahrenheit, according to NASA's Web site.
Not cool at all.
But the sun's recent activity, or lack thereof, may be linked to
the pleasant summer temperatures the Midwest has enjoyed this year,
said Charlie Perry, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological
Survey in Lawrence.
The sun is at a low point of a deep solar minimum in which there
are little to no sunspots on its surface.
In July through August, 51 consecutive days passed without a
spot, one day short of tying ...