Sunspots come and go with an 11-year rhythm called the sunspot cycle. At the cycle’s peak, solar maximum, the sun is continually peppered with spots, some as big as the planet Jupiter. But for every peak there is a valley, and during solar minimum months can go by without a single sunspot.
“That’s where we are now—at minimum,” says Hathaway.
Actually, we’re at the beginning of the minimum. February 2006 was the first month in almost ten years with mostly no sunspots. For 21 of February’s 28 days, the sun was blank. Hathaway expects this situation to continue for the rest of 2006.
No sunspots means low solar activity. Sunspots are sources of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can disrupt radio communications and even cause power outages on Earth during severe magnetic storms. These problems should subside during the year ahead. Auroras, a beautiful side-effect of magnetic storms, should subside, too. “Too bad,” says Hathaway, who enjoys Northern Lights.
By the way, solar storm is coming soon.
Summarised from Solar Minimum has Arrived
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