Yes, it is! And, it's an event that's expected to last at least three decades! Scientists at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) released a statement in June of this year that was news to me. According to the statement, apparently the sun is heading for a rest period, this according to both the NSO and to the Air Force Laboratory (AFRL).
According to Dr. Frank Hill, associate director of the NSO’s Solar Synoptic Network, “This is highly unusual and unexpected. But,” he continued, “the fact that three completely different views of the sun point in the same direction is a powerful indicator that the sunspot cycle may be going into hibernation.”
The technical data that Hill and other scientists presented are pointing to a possible Maunder-like minimum that could last for the next three decades or more. This may be of concern as the Maunder Minimum coincided with the middle — and coldest part — of the Little Ice Age, during which Europe and North America were subjected to bitterly cold winters. Whether there is a causal connection between low sunspot activity and cold winters has not been proven; however, lower earth temperatures have been observed during low sunspot activity.
Dr. Hill emphasizes that he is not predicting a mini-ice age at this time. He stated that his team is concerned with sun spots and nothing else. Click here for a pretty video on the sun and sunspots.
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