• 천문학논총
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.15-22
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• 2002

We have analyzed 209 data of daily sunspot observations made during the period of January 3 to December 31 In 2001 and presented the daily relative sunspot numbers. During the year of 2001, our annual average of relative sunspot numbers is found to be 92.2. This number is obtained from the averaged daily number of 8.4 spot groups, in which there are about 57.5 distinct spots observed. According to the appearance of 370 spot groups, our analysis shows that the mean life time of spot groups is about 4 day and 20.4 hours.

• 천문학회보
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.102.2-102.2
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• 2011

Sunspots usually appear in a group which can be classified by certain morphological criteria. In this study we examine the moments which are statistical parameters computed by summing over every pixels of contours, in order to quantify the morphological characteristics of a sunspot group. The moments can be additional characteristics to the sunspot group classification such as McIntosh classification. We are developing a program for image processing, detection of contours and computation of the moments using continuum images from SOHO/MDI. We apply the program to count the sunspot numbers from 303 continuum images in 2003. The sunspot numbers obtained by the program are compared with those by SIDC. The comparison shows that they have a good correlation (r=89%). We are extending this application to automatic sunspot classification (e.g., McIntosh classification) and flare forecasting.

• 천문학논총
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.153-161
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• 1993

We analyze 211 data of the daily sunspot observations during the period of January 4 to November 30 in 1993 and present the daily relative sunspot numbers. During 334 days of the period, the preliminary annual average of the relative sunspot numbers is found to be 61.8 based on 27.1 distinct spots in a single group for 3.7 spot groups. According to the appearance of 203 spot groups, our analysis shows that the mean life time of spot group is about 1 day and 15.5 hours. Our records show that more number of sunspots have appeared in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere by some 2%, indicating that the solar activities of the northern and southern hemisphere are much the same during the period.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.227-236
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• 2006

프랙탈 차원은 연속적으로 관측된 불규칙한 자료의 성질을 정량적으로 표현하는 파라메터이다. 본 연구에서는 프랙탈 차원을 이용하여 태양 흑점수의 불규칙한 변동을 분석하고 다가오는 태양주기의 최대흑점수를 예측하였다. 이를 위하여 우리는 SIDC(Solar Influences Data analysis Center)에서 제공하는 1850년부터 2004년까지의 일일흑점수를 이용하여 Higuchi의 방법으로 각 태양주기의 프랙탈 차원을 결정하고 같은 태양주기 동안의 최대 월평균 흑점수와 비교하였다. 그 결과 프랙탈 차원과 최대 월평균 흑점수는 강한 역비례 관계를 보였다. 이러한 관계를 이용하여 태양활동 극소기부터 활동이 증가되는 기간인 4년동안의 흑점수만을 이용하여 프랙탈 차원을 구하고 다가올 극대기의 최대 월평균 흑점수를 예측한 결과 관측된 최대흑점수와 0.89의 좋은 상관관계를 보였다.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.97-101
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• 2012

Monitoring sunspots consistently is the most basic step required to study various aspects of solar activity. To achieve this goal, the observers must regularly calculate their own correction factor $k$ and keep it stable. Relatively recently, two observing teams in South Korea have presented interesting papers which claim that revisions that take the yearly-basis $k$ into account lead to a better agreement with the international relative sunspot number $R_i$, and that yearly $k$ apparently varies with the solar cycle. In this paper, using artificial data sets we have modeled the sunspot numbers as a superposition of random noise and a slowly varying background function, and attempted to investigate whether the variation in the correction factor is coupled with the solar cycle. Regardless of the statistical distributions of the random noise, we have found the correction factor increases as sunspot numbers increase, as claimed in the reports mentioned above. The degree of dependence of correction factor $k$ on the sunspot number is subject to the signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, we conclude that apparent dependence of the value of the correction factor $k$ on the phase of the solar cycle is not due to a physical property, but a statistical property of the data.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.245-251
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• 2012

Since the development of surface magnetic features should reflect the evolution of the solar magnetic field in the deep interior of the Sun, it is crucial to study properties of sunspots and sunspot groups to understand the physical processes working below the solar surface. Here, using the data set of sunspot groups observed at the ButterStar observatory for 3,364 days from 2002 October 16 to 2011 December 31, we investigate temporal change of sunspot groups depending on their Z$\ddot{u}$rich classification type. Our main findings are as follows: (1) There are more sunspot groups in the southern hemisphere in solar cycle 23, while more sunspot groups appear in the northern hemisphere in solar cycle 24. We also note that in the declining phase of solar cycle 23 the decreasing tendency is apparently steeper in the solar northern hemisphere than in the solar southern hemisphere. (2) Some of sunspot group types make a secondary peak in the distribution between the solar maximum and the solar minimum. More importantly, in this particular data set, sunspot groups which have appeared in the solar southern hemisphere make a secondary peak 1 year after a secondary peak occurs in the solar northern hemisphere. (3) The temporal variations of small and large sunspot group numbers are disparate. That is, the number of large sunspot group declines earlier and faster and that the number of small sunspot group begins to rise earlier and faster. (4) The total number of observed sunspot is found to behave more likewise as the small sunspot group does. Hence, according to our findings, behaviors and evolution of small magnetic flux tubes and large magnetic flux tubes seem to be different over solar cycles. Finally, we conclude by briefly pointing out its implication on the space weather forecast.

• 천문학회지
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• 제47권6호
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• pp.255-258
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• 2014

Using sunspot number data from 270 historical stations for the period 1981-2013, we investigate their personal reduction coefficients (k) statistically. Chang & Oh (2012) perform a simulation showing that the k varies with the solar cycle. We try to verify their results using observational data. For this, a weighted mean and weighted standard deviation of monthly sunspot number are used to estimate the error from observed data. We find that the observed error (noise) is much smaller than that used in the simulation. Thus no distinct k-variation with the solar cycle is observed contrary to the simulation. In addition, the probability distribution of k is determined to be non-Gaussian with a fat-tail on the right side. This result implies that the relative sunspot number after 1981 might be overestimated since the mean value of k is less than that of the Gaussian distribution.

• 천문학회보
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.33.1-33.1
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• 2001

• 천문학회보
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.100.1-100.1
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• 2011

Everybody wants to see the future, but nobody does for sure. Reliably forecasting the solar activity in the near future looks like an easy task, but in fact still remains one of difficult problems in the solar-terrestrial research. We have sought for good univariate methods that can predict future smoothed sunspot numbers reasonably well based on past smoothed sunspot number data only. Here we consider a specific method we call principal component-and-autoregression (PCAR) method. The variation of sunspot number during a period of finite duration (past) before an epoch (present) is modeled by a linear combination of a small number of dominant principal components, and this model is extended to the period (future) beyond the epoch using the autoregressive model of finite order. From the application of this method, we find that the $24^{th}$ solar maximum is likely to occur near the end of the year 2013 (and there is a possibility that it occurs earlier near the start of 2013), and to have a peak sunspot number of about 86, indicating that the activity of the $24^{th}$ cycle will be weaker than the average. We will discuss how much this estimate is reliable.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.25-30
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• 2009

태양의 북-남 비대칭성을 고려하여 태양활동과 기후변화 사이의 관계에 대하여 연구하였다. 이를 위해 흑점 수와 지구연평균 기온아노말리(temperature anomalies) 시계열을 이용하여 이동 상관계수를 계산하였고 상관계수의 부호가 바뀌는 시점을 태양의 북-남 비대칭성의 부호가 바뀌는 시점과 비교하였다. 상관계수의 부호는 1907년을 기준으로 음의 상관에서 양의 상관으로 바뀌었고 1985년을 기준으로 양의 상관이 을의 상관으로 바뀌었다. 이 둔 시점은 태양의 북-남 비대칭성의 부호가 바뀌는 시점과 잘 일치하였다. 흑점 수에 대한 기온아노말리 변화 그래프를 통해 태양활동과 기후변화 사이의 관계가 1907년과 1985년으로 나뉘어진 세 기간으로 분류되었고 각 기간에 대해서 기온아노말리의 흑점 수에 대한 상관계수를 계산하였다. 이를 통해 태양의 남반구에서 태양활동이 강할 때는 태양활동과 기후변화의 관계가 음의 상관을 보이고 북반구의 태양활동이 강할 때는 양의 상관을 보인다는 것을 확인하였다.