Our Sun experienced fewer sunspots in 2008 than it had since the 1957 launch of Sputnik. As of Sun-Earth Day on March 20, 2009, the Sun was continuing its quiet pattern.
This pair of images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft shows sunspots and ultraviolet light emitted by the Sun on April 29, 2009.
Fifteen years ago this month, the European Space Agency and NASA launched SOHO, a satellite that fundamentally changed our understanding of the Sun and how it affects our planet.