Solar Max ending? Blank Sun goes eerily quiet – almost no sunspots seen, x-ray output flatlines

April 2015 – SPACE – Everyone knows that high solar activity has a profound effect on the space around Earth. Less well known is that *low* solar activity can be equally transformative. This week, the sun is plunging into a quiet state with almost no sunspots. Only a few dark cores are peppering the face of the sun, and they are so small you might have trouble finding them in this April 30th image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory: Almost no sunspots = almost no solar activity. The sun’s X-ray output has flatlined, and NOAA forecasters estimate a scant 1% chance of strong flares in the next 24 hours. If the sunspot number continues to drop, the sun could become completely blank. The downturn is only temporary–a new batch of sunspots will probably appear by week’s end–but it is significant. Spotless suns are a sign that Solar Max is ending. –Space Weather