09/02/2008 07:40 PM ID: 73125

Sunspot Activity Lowest in Nearly 100 Years

A whole month passed without a sunspot being seen. This is the first time since 1913 that such an event has happened. Data on sunspots has been collected since 1749. The sun undergoes cycles every 11 years where sunspot activity is close to zero.

Many climatologists believe that solar magnetic activity contributes to climate changes on Earth. Astronomer William Livingston, co-wrote a paper in 2005 that predicted that sunspots would completely disappear within a 10 year period.

Over the past 1000 years, three similar events have taken place. The Dalton, Maunder, and Spörer Minimums. These events let to rapid cooling with one even being dubbed a “Mini Ice Age”.

Source: www.dailytech.com