page_title: Solar minimum
section_title: Grand solar minima and maxima
hierarchical_section_title: Solar minimum / Grand solar minima and maxima
context_page_description: Solar minimum is the period of least solar activity in the 11-year solar cycle of the Sun. During this time, sunspot and solar flare activity diminishes, and often does not occur for days at a time. The date of the minimum is described by a smoothed average over 12 months of sunspot activity, so identifying the date of the solar minimum usually can only happen 6 months after the minimum takes place. Solar minima is correlated with changes in climate.
  Solar minimum is contrasted with the solar maximum, when hundreds of sunspots may occur.
context_section_description: Grand solar minima occur when several solar cycles exhibit lesser than average activity for decades or centuries.  Solar cycles still occur during these grand solar minimum periods but are at a lower intensity than usual. The grand minima form a special mode of the solar dynamo operation.  
  A list of historical Grand minima of solar activity includes also Grand minima ca. 690 AD, 360 BC, 770 BC, 1390 BC, 2860 BC, 3340 BC, 3500 BC, 3630 BC, 3940 BC, 4230 BC, 4330 BC, 5260 BC, 5460 BC, 5620 BC, 5710 BC, 5990 BC, 6220 BC, 6400 BC, 7040 BC, 7310 BC, 7520 BC, 8220 BC, 9170 BC.
caption: 400 year history of sunspot numbers.
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