Scientists have expressed concern over the fact that the Sun has gone completely blank for the second time this month, something it hasn’t done for 100 years. On June 4th the sun went completely ‘dark’ without any spots on visible, and has remained almost completely blank for the last few weeks. Vencoreweather.com reports: The blank sun is a sign that the next solar minimum is approaching and there will be an increasing number of spotless days over the next few years. At first, the blankness will stretch for just a few days at a time, then it’ll continue for weeks at a time, and finally it should last for months at a time when the sunspot cycle reaches its nadir. The next solar minimum phase is expected to take place around 2019 or 2020. The current solar cycle is the 24th since 1755 when extensive recording of solar sunspot activity began and is the weakest in more than a century with the fewest sunspots since cycle 14 peaked in February 1906. Solar cycle 24 The sun goes through a natural solar cycle approximately every 11 years. The cycle is marked by the increase and decrease of sunspots which are visible dark [...]
