dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (01/31/86)
This from the 24 January issue of Science: "Three independent measures of the brightness of the sun as seen from Earth now show the same 0.02 percent per year decrease during at least the past 5 years. Thus, as suspected in the early years of these observations, the sun does seem to be fading. But it is fading too fast for it it be part of a long-term change, so the decrease is presumed linked to some well-known solar cycle, such as the 11-year sunspot cycle or more probably the 22-year magnetic cycle. Over a decade or two, such changes could affect climate." And in a later paragraph: "There is an intriguing solar phenomenon that could be involved. As recently suggested by Martin Woodward, now at JPL, and Robert Noyes of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, the sun seems to be expanding." First Graham-Ruddman and now this! -- D Gary Grady Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC 27706 (919) 684-3695 USENET: {seismo,decvax,ihnp4,akgua,etc.}!mcnc!ecsvax!dgary