'Doomsday looming' as sun 'goes blank' sparking ice age fears

DOOMSDAY could be looming as planet earth faces an ice age after the sun went blank for the second time in less than month.

By Joshua Nevett

HOT STUFF: NASA image shows solar activity between August 1991 and September 2001

Astonishing images from NASA reveal no visible sunspots are currently visible on its surface.

This has caused the star to go into "cue call" mode having entered its quietest period for more than a century, Vencore Weather claims.

Decreased activity is not unusual as solar activity changes the volatile star's surface in 11-year cycles, astronomers say.

But researchers are warning this current cycle could have a devastating impact on Earth's atmosphere, possibly ushering in a second ice age, similar to the one which began in 1645.

Paul Dorian of Vencore Weather says the blank sun is a sign that the next solar minimum is approaching.

He said: "At first, the blankness will stretch for just a few days at a time, then it’ll continue for weeks at a time, and finally it should last for months at a time when the sunspot cycle reaches its nadir.

"The next solar minimum phase is expected to take place around 2019 or 2020."

The sun went completely spotless on June 4 with activity remaining low for several days.

It came after another period of low activity in February when NASA images showed the sun in "cueball mode".

ICE AGE: The sun is in its quietest period for more than a century

Now experts predict the low solar activity could pave the way for a "Maunder minimum" phase, where solar flares are non-existent, causing temperatures to plummet.

Last year a Northumbria University study predicted a sharp decline in solar activity between 2020 and 2050.

Professor Valentina Zharkova, who conducted the research, said: "I am absolutely confident in our research.

"It has good mathematical background and reliable data, which has been handled correctly.

"In fact, our results can be repeated by any researchers with the similar data available in many solar observatories, so they can derive their own evidence of upcoming Maunder Minimum in solar magnetic field and activity."