April 1, 2009--The sun's face is spotless in an image taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory on March 31, 2009. An unusually low number of sunspots since the start of the year has prompted NASA to conclude that our normally stormy star is at its lowest cycle of activity in almost a century.

The last time the sun experienced such a deep solar minimum was in 1913, when it had 311 spotless days.

• More Photos in the News
• Today's 15 Most Read Stories
• Free Email Newsletter: Photo of the Month