SUN IS DIMMEST ITS BEEN IN A CENTURY - So Why are the Earth's Temps on the Rise?

The sun is the dimmest it has been for almost a century, scientists say.

Leading astronomers admit they are baffled why the Earth's closest star has gone so quiet - and when it will burst back into life.

The sun normally goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. At its peak - a period known as the solar maximum - the sun is covered with dozens of sun spots as it spits out vast flares and balls of superheated gas the size of planets.

Baffled: Scientists last year assumed the sun was entering an active phase but instead it has hit a 100-year low in sunspot activity

At the other end of the cycle, during the solar minimum, it is calm with relatively few sun spots and few eruptions. Last year, scientists assumed the sun was about to become more active after a quiet few years.

But instead it has hit a 100-year low in sunspot activity, a 50-year low in solar wind pressure and a 55-year low in radio emissions. The observations have intrigued astronomers who are studying new images at the UK National Astronomy Meeting this week.

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