Spörer minimum

astronomy

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July 20, 2026

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The Spörer minimum was a period of drastically reduced sunspot activity that occurred between approximately 1450 and 1540. This interval, named in honor of German scientist Gustav Spörer, is one of several identified periods of unusually low solar activity. These periods, such as the Maunder minimum (1645-1715) and the Dalton minimum (1790-1830), are characterized by a significant decrease in the number of sunspots observed on the Sun. While the exact mechanism linking reduced solar activity to Earth's climate is not fully understood, these minimums have been observed to coincide with cooler global temperatures.12

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Little Ice Age
Variability in solar output
…Little Ice Age period: the Spörer Minimum (1450–1540) and the Maunder Minimum (1645–1715). Both solar minimums coincided with the coldest years of the Little Ice Age in parts of Europe. Some scientists therefore argue that reduced amounts of available solar radiation caused the Little Ice Age. However, the absence of…
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…Little Ice Age period: the Spörer Minimum (1450–1540) and the Maunder Minimum (1645–1715). Both solar minimums coincided with the coldest years of the Little Ice Age in parts of Europe. Some scientists therefore argue that reduced amounts of available solar radiation caused the Little Ice Age. However, the absence of…
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Maunder minimum
…1540, which he called the Spörer minimum in honour of the 19th-century German scientist Gustav Spörer, another early observer of the irregularities.)
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…1540, which he called the Spörer minimum in honour of the 19th-century German scientist Gustav Spörer, another early observer of the irregularities.)
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