According to the paper, we may know whether a new solar minimum is occurring as soon as 2015.

The exceptional solar minimum in 2008-2010 stands out a little.

The Sun will still be in the relatively quiet phase of its 11-year cycle, a time known as the solar minimum.

In 2008, the Sun was spot-free 73 percent of the time, extreme even for a solar minimum.

The surprise came during a solar minimum, when the skies should have been dark.

At solar minimum, the temperature of the atmosphere 200 miles up is, on average, about 850 degrees Fahrenheit.

Even in times of solar minimum, when F2 is rarely available, 10 metres still has some long distance possibilities.

At a typical solar minimum, few sunspots are visible, and occasionally none at all can be seen.

The Sun has only recently come out of the deepest solar minimum for 100 years.

The next launch opportunity for this mission (2031) will not have the advantage of being at the solar minimum.