Maunder Minimum
Sign in to saveThe period starting about 1645 and continuing to about 1715 when sunspots were exceedingly rare
~12 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Maunder Minimum shown in a 400-year history of sunspot numbers
The Maunder Minimum, also known as the "prolonged sunspot minimum", was a period around 1645 to 1715 during which sunspots became exceedingly rare. During the 28-year period 1672–1699 within the minimum, observations revealed fewer than 50 sunspots. This contrasts with the typical 40,000–50,000 sunspots seen in modern times over a similar timespan.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Maunder Minimum” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.