Eerie Quiet Descends on the Sun

Source - Space Weather News for July 17, 2014: http://spaceweather.com

SUDDEN QUIET: Less than two weeks ago, the sun was peppered with large active regions.  Now, the face of the sun is almost completely blank.  Suddenly, the sunspot number and the sun's x-ray output have dropped to their lowest levels in years.  Is Solar Maximum finished?  Probably not, but the ongoing quiet spell is remarkable. 

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