A Farewell to Warm?

eham links to a Science Mag article on a possible disappearance of sunspots starting about 2016.

Ham radio operators, of course, like sunspots because they assist in DX, that, is, long distance communications; good solar activity can help you literally talk around the world on low power.

Most people are more concerned with the fact that "no" sunspots means the world will be getting cold.

Scientists studying sunspots for the past 2 decades have concluded that the magnetic field that triggers their formation has been steadily declining. If the current trend continues, by 2016 the sun's face may become spotless and remain that way for decades—a phenomenon that in the 17th century coincided with a prolonged period of cooling on Earth.

Wikipedia article on the Maunder Minimum.

Maybe Niven and Pournelle were right...