Deep Solar Minimum

An item on SpaceWeather.com speculates that 2009 could match 1913 as the blankest year of the past century.

The report posted March 22, 2009 says

Where have all the sunspots gone? As of yesterday, March 21st, the sun has been blank on 85% of the days of 2009.
If this rate of spotlessness continues through the end of the year, 2009 will match 1913 as the blankest year of the past century.

A flurry of new-cycle sunspots in Oct. 2008 prompted some observers to declare that solar minimum was ending, but since then the calm has returned.

We are still in the pits of a deep solar minimum.

SpaceWeather.com - Deep Solar Minimum
http://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?
view=1&day=22&month=03&year=2009