Sunspot Counts Drop to 7-Year Low

Space Weather News for March 19, 2017 http://spaceweather.com https://www.facebook.com/spaceweatherdotcom SUNSPOT COUNTS HIT 7-YEAR LOW: The face of the sun has been blank (no sunspots) for 13 consecutive days. The last time this happened was in April of 2010, near the end of an historically deep Solar Minimum.  The current stretch of blank suns heralds a new Solar Minimum expected to arrive in 2019-2020.  What does this mean for space weather? Answers may be found on today's edition of Spaceweather.com. VENUS AT INFERIOR CONJUNCTION: This week, Venus will pass almost directly between Earth and the sun--an event astronomers call "inferior solar conjunction."  As it turns its night side to Earth, the planetary disk of Venus is transforming into an exquisitely slender crescent easily seen through small telescopes or binoculars.  Visit Spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips. Remember, SpaceWeather.com is on Facebook! Above: Ofer Gabzo of the Givatayim Observatory in Israel took this picture of Venus on March 19, 2017.  Browse the Venus Photo Gallery for more. Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2017 Spaceweather.com, All rights reserved.