14 DAY TRIAL // The sun should be at the peak of its activity in this period, as the 11-year cycle reaches its climax. But, over the past few days, the sun went completely silent.
Every measure scientists use to gauge activity is basically dead. This would be surprising at any time, but it is especially now, during what was supposed to be the sun's most active period.
This cycle has been unusually quiet. Scientists have measured the lowest activity in a century but, even so, it doesn't explain the complete silence.
This underlines, as Wired notes, that we're still not very good at predicting solar activity or at understanding how the cycle works and what powers it.
Some are saying that this low in activity is evidence of a double peak – the first has passed and the second is coming in the next weeks or months. Other scientists believe that this low activity level will continue for several more cycles.