The Maunder minimum is the name given to the
A) unexpectedly low number of neutrinos observed from the Sun.
B) region of lowest temperature in the photosphere, between the decreasing temperature in the solar interior and the increasing temperature in the chromosphere.
C) period of 70 years in the 1600s and early 1700s during which essentially no sunspots were seen.
D) minimum in the number of sunspots that occurs roughly every 11 years.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Maunder Minimum refers to a period from about 1645 to 1715 during which sunspots became exceedingly rare, as noted by astronomers of the time. This period coincides with the coldest part of the "Little Ice Age" in Europe and North America.

The Maunder Minimum Is the Name Given to the