What's wrong with the sun?

A New Scientist magazine article discusses the unexpectedly low level of sunspots in the last couple of years.

The article says:

William Livingston at the National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Arizona, has been measuring the strength of the magnetic fields which puncture the sun's surface and cause the spots to develop. Last year, he and colleague Matt Penn pointed out that the average strength of sunspot magnetic fields has been sliding dramatically since 1995.

If the trend continues, in just five years the field will have slipped below the threshold magnetic field needed for sunspots to form.

Read the full New Scientist article at
http://www.newscientist.com/article/
mg20627640.800-whats-wrong-with-the-sun.html