Hi All,
Yep, quite a few solar-astronomers are forecasting that the new solar cycle (No 24) might well turn out to be a complete dud. Until today's spot, the Sun has been essentially a clean sheet for over two months.
There are also a few that speculate that the Sun might be heading into a minimum period that could last for years or decades (like the Maunder minimum -- see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunder_Minimum
See here for a recent article on what the Sun is not doing:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/02/1...sunspots-gone/
Yep, I too recently acquired a PST (though I've been H-Alpha observing at Sydney Observatory on and off for years) and have spent a couple of hrs over the last couple of weeks looking at a largely blank disc with the occasional small prominence.
If a sustained minimum occurs, it will be interesting to see what effect it has on the weather/climate.
Best,
Les D