Abstract
We examine the occasionally forwarded hypothesis that solar activity originates by planetary Newtonian attraction on the Sun. We do this by comparing three accelerations working on solar matter at the tachocline level: Those due to planetary tidal forces, to the motion of the Sun around the planetary system's centre of gravity, and the observed accelerations at that level. We find that the latter are by a factor of about 1000 larger than the former two and therefore cannot be caused by planetary attractions. We conclude that the cause of the dynamo is purely solar.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bushby, P. and Mason, J.: 2004, Astron. Geophys. 45, 4.7.
Charbonneau, P., Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., Henning, R., Larsen, R. M., Schou, J., Thompson, M. J., and Tomcyk, S.: 1999, Astrophys. J. 527, 445.
Charvátová, I.: 1997, Surv. Geophys. 18, 131.
Charvátová, I.: 2000, Ann. Geophys. 18, 399.
Fairbridge, R. W. and Shirley, J. H.: 1987, Solar Phys. 110, 191.
Jose, P. D.: 1936, Pop. Astron. 44, 542.
Jose, P. D.: 1965, Astron. J. 70, 193.
Kosovichev, A. G.: 1996, Astrophys. J. 469, L61.
Landscheidt, Th.: 1999, Solar Phys. 189, 415.
Landscheidt, Th.: 2000, Hydrol. Sci. J. 45(3), 491.
Le, G. M., Wang, J.-L.: 2003, Chin. J. Astron. Astrophys. 3, 391.
Loutre, M. F., Berger, A., Bretagnon, P. and Blanc, P.-L.: 1992, Clim. Dyn. 7, 181.
Milankovich, M.: 1941, Akad. R. Serbe 133, 1.
Ogurtsov, M. G., Nagovitsyn, Yu. A., Kocharov, G. A. and Jungner, H.: 2002, Solar Phys. 211, 371.
Ossendrijver, M.: 2003, Astron. Astrophys. Rev. 11, 287.
Reimer, P. J.: 2004, Nature 431, 1047.
Robinson, F. J., Demarque, P., Li, L. A., Sofia, S., Kim, Y.-C., Chan, K. L. and Guenther, D. B.: 2004, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 340, 923.
Tomasino, M., Zanchettin, D. and Traverso, P.: 2004, Hydrol. Sci. 49(4), 641.
Weiss, N. O. and Tobias, S. M.: 2000, Space Sci. Rev. 94, 99.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Jager, C., Versteegh, G.J.M. Do Planetary Motions Drive Solar Variability?. Sol Phys 229, 175–179 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-005-4086-7
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-005-4086-7