Planetary Motion, Sunspots and Climate

Abstract

Past attempts to link sunspots with the gravitational attraction by planets or with the orbital motion of the Sun have not been successful. In this paper the changes in orbital angular momenta of planets due to gravitational perturbation are considered. Ninety-eight percent of the angular momentum of the solar system is contained in the orbital motion of the four giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The potential relevance of the motion of these giant planets to the sunspot variations is investigated. The perturbation forces between two planets vary periodically over their mutual synodic period and show symmetry about heliocentric conjunction and opposition. Certain pairs and pair groupings in the giant planets have highly commensurable mean motions. Their synodic half periods correspond to the principal sunspot number frequencies. In particular, the 10 yr period appears to be associated with the relative motion of the pair Jupiter — Saturn, the 90 yr period with that of Uranus and Neptune, and the 11 yr period with the motion of the pair Jupiter — Saturn relative to the pair Uranus — Neptune. The physical link between planetary motion and sunspots is seen in the outward transfer of angular momentum from the Sun to the fringe of the solar system. We assume the existence of a basic energy flow from the Sun outward effected by accelerations of outer planets through gravitational perturbation by inner planets rhythmically modulated by the orbital configurations of all the planets. The transmission of gravitational torque in the solar system is assumed to cause changes in the global and local vorticity patterns of low inertia materials such as the solar photosphere and the terrestrial atmosphere; this provides a mechanism of control on the terrestrial atmospheric circulation and climate by extraterrestrial forces either directly or through modulation of solar activity.