2001 a change is here.

StarDate: December 25, 2001 Solar Cycles=A0 Rising in the east and setting in the west, shining hot
and bright during summer and cold and distant during winter, our Sun seems steady and constant. Yet
about the only true constant for the Sun is change -- and some of its changes have a direct effect
on life on Earth. The most obvious change is the sunspot cycle. Every 11 years, dark magnetic storms
break out on the Sun as its internal magnetic field twists and snaps. One cycle peaked just this
year. Intense magnetic activity can disrupt power and communications on Earth, and trigger displays
of the "northern lights" at unusually far-southern latitudes. Another cycle seems to peak every 208
years. Over this period, the Sun's total energy output varies by perhaps one-tenth of one percent.
Although it's not much, it might be enough to have a profound impact on Earth's climate. By studying
sediments in the Yucatan peninsula, for example, researchers from the University of Florida found
evidence of powerful droughts in Mexico and Central America roughly every 206 years -- in good sync
with the waxing and waning solar energy. The cycle coincides with periods of stress for the ancient
Maya. One especially strong drought occurred during the ninth century, when the Maya began to give
way to other cultures. The evidence suggests that we humans may sometimes have to adapt to big
changes in our seemingly "constant" star. Script by Damond Benningfield Script Copyright 2001 Damond
Benningfield StarDate Copyright 2001 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory