Written by: Scott Hetsko
Solar Image: NASA June 2009

After about two years with very little action, the yellow star is springing to life! This recent picture shows a few brand new sunspots flaring up after virtually none most of 2009. Sunspots are intense solar storms, each one larger than this planet, which have an impact on the global climate. We don't know to what extend the impact is but since the sun is THE driver of weather and climate, solar storms are important.

Last year, 266 days were spot-free, and not a single spot was detected in August, said David Hathaway, a NASA expert in Huntsville, Ala. And while 2008 was one of the warmest years on record worldwide, it was the coolest since 2000.