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Sven Explains: The quiet, spotless sun

A quieter sun brings a number of things: Northern lights become less frequent and brilliant and the sun becomes ever so slightly dimmer.

For 37 days and counting the sun has been SPOTLESS. 

So what the heck does that mean? It is a signal that we’re in a ‘solar minimum,’ or a lull in solar activity. 

A quieter sun brings a number of things: Northern lights become less frequent and  brilliant and the sun becomes ever so slightly dimmer. A quieter sun even has an effect on the upper atmosphere, causing satellites and space junk to stay airborne longer. 

Not to worry... we DO expect spots to appear again later this year and into 2020 with a solar maximum forecast once again in the years 2023-2026.

The sun goes through normal cycles of higher and lower solar activity, it just so happens we're in a quiet period for much of this year. 

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