The Hinode (Heh-NO-DAY, are you listenin', Dutch?) North Pole Asymmetry-Pt. II

I really didn't want to go overboard on this story as I think it's much overblown already; and I find myself having to react to scattershot blast of exaggerations and pure disinfo. Yet I'll try to put things in perspective, as I see it.

First of all, I'm happy to see the Hinode findings and data put out in such a timely fashion. I don't fault the research team (well, maybe a little) for the sensationalism this story has sparked in the "alternative media". As you'll soon see, this bru-ha-ha is greatly unwarranted at this time. For one thing, the suggestion that sunspot counts are irrelevant in respect to measuring Solar Maximum is a ridiculous oversimplification. Sunspots are the manifestation of the magnetic field contortions we've measured for many solar cycles. The very definition of solar maximum is a peak in sunspot activity. Of course the solar magnetic fields are the driving force of everything we witness in regards to solar activity. No one disputes this fact.

According to the NASA news release:

"This is the first direct observation of this field reversal," says Cirtain. "And it is extremely important to understanding how the sun's magnetism generates the solar cycle."

If this is the first direct observation, what shall we compare it to???

The big blunder (IMO) in the Hinode press release, is comparing this to the Maunder Minimum....no one was measuring the Sun's magnetic field in the year 1650! This is at best conjecture, and at worst a scientific fraud.

From the Hinode team:

" It is believed that the Sun has previously experienced these circumstances during the Maunder Minimum and Dalton Minimum, which are said to have been periods when the Earth's climate was colder."
BELIEVED? By whom?

There is a controversy here because the Sun's low sunspot count may have nothing to do with the cooler climate experienced during either the Maunder Minimum or the Dalton Minimum; as both periods coincided with extreme volcanic activity. Of course it's possible the solar minimum played a role, but none of this is undisputed proven scientific fact.
[link to www.scientificamerican.com]

[link to www.wired.com]

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

COMING SOON...........PART III