Over the past month the Sun's visible surface has been almost blank, just one or two sunspot groups the entire time (May 10 - June 10, 2009). The video clip, composed of about 4 images per day for the month, shows the rotating Sun as seen by SOHO's MDI instrument. Without sunspots, it is rather hard to see the rotation. The Sun has been quiet for almost two years, the longest period of solar minimum in about 100 years. Though there have been a few indications that activity is soon to pick up, the Sun is dawdling along in terms of solar activity: no sunspots for over 126 days this year.
Anthony Watts hosts an essay about this from William Livingston and M. Penn at the National Solar Observatory here.
The norm:
The best we've got now:
Let's suggest here we might be into some seriously cold summer if it wasn't for the dreaded greenhouse effect.
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