Sunspot Observations during the Maunder Minimum from the Correspondence of John Flamsteed

Abstract

We compile and analyze the sunspot observations made by John Flamsteed for the period 1672-1703, corresponding to the second part of the Maunder Minimum, which appear in the correspondence of this famous astronomer. We include in an appendix the original texts of the sunspot records kept by Flamsteed. We compute an estimate of the level of solar activity using these records, and compare the results with the latest reconstructions of solar activity during the Maunder Minimum, obtaining values characteristic of a grand solar minimum. Finally, we discuss a phenomenon observed and described by Stephen Gray in 1705 that has been interpreted as a white-light flare.

24 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Solar Physics

References in corpus (2)

• Historical Sunspot Observations: A Review
• Level and length of cyclic solar activity during the Maunder minimum as deduced from the active day statistics

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• A Transit of Venus Possibly Misinterpreted as an Unaided-Eye Sunspot Observation in China on 9 December 1874
• Long-lived sunspots in historical records: a case study analysis from 1660 to 1676
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