Hemispheric Sunspot Number from the Madrid Astronomical Observatory for the Period 1935–1986

Abstract

Abstract Long-term studies on hemispheric asymmetry can help to understand better the solar dynamo. We present the hemispheric sunspot number calculated from daily sunspot observations made at the Madrid Astronomical Observatory for the period 1935–1986 (corresponding approximately to Solar Cycles 17–21). From this data set, we also analyzed the asymmetry index and hemispheric phase shifts. We conclude that the northern hemisphere was predominant in Solar Cycles 17–20, whereas the southern hemisphere was predominant in Solar cycle 21. The strongest asymmetries are found in Solar Cycles 20 (with a relative difference between both hemispheres of 44%) and 19 (39%). A normalization of the Madrid hemispheric sunspot number was also made with respect to the sunspot number (Version 2). Our results agree with previous studies on hemispheric asymmetry around the mid-20th century and their secular trends.