The Sun is a source of light and heat for life on Earth. Our ancestors realized that their lives depended upon the Sun and they held the Sun in reverent awe. We still recognize the importance of the Sun and find the Sun to be awe inspiring. In addition we seek to understand how it works, why it changes, and how these changes influence us here on planet Earth. The Sun was much dimmer in its youth and yet the Earth was not frozen. The quantity and quality of light from the Sun varies on time scales from milli-seconds to billions of years. During recent sunspot cycles the total solar irradiance has changed by about 0.1% with the sun being brighter at sunspot maximum. Some of these variations most certainly affect our climate but in uncertain ways.
2006-12-13
08:25:16
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3 answers
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Anonymous
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Science & Mathematics
➔ Weather