Spotless Sun (IMAGE) Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Caption This visible-light photograph, taken in 2008 by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, shows the sun's face free of sunspots. The sun experienced 780 spotless days during the unusually long solar minimum that just ended. New computer simulations imply that the sun's long quiet spell resulted from changing flows of hot plasma within it. Credit NASA/SOHO Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.