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Originally posted by schuyler
Wha???? You guys can see the sun???? Just clouds and rain. Pretty normal stuff. But, then, this is Seattle.
Originally posted by Blarneystoner
Maybe it's not the sun that's different... maybe it's your physiology that's changed. As you get older, your eyes become more light-sensitive and your tolerance for heat gets lower. Skin conditions, viruses, allergies can all be factors as well.
There have been many arguments as to whether or not the eleven-year sunspot cycle affects our weather and climate. With our increased ability to monitor the sun, we are now aware that there is a small change in the total solar irradiance accompanying shifts from solar maximum conditions (with many sunspots) to solar minimum (with, basically, none). There is also a more substantial change in the ultraviolet (UV) portion of the solar spectrum, with direct impacts primarily in the stratosphere (above ~10km).
The effect of these changes on our temperature record has been noted by some researchers