View From The Lab: Where have all the sunspots gone? - Telegraph

The current calm, however, means that the solar wind is less powerful than it has been for half a century. In turn, that has caused the ionosphere to sink to levels never before measured. At night, the atmosphere now ends – and the void begins – about 250 miles above our heads; which is far less than its average of around 400 miles. For all of us, space is a lot closer than it was at the start of the Space Age.

When will the Sun's internal economy pick up again, and when will its energy exports once more heat up our own chilly atmosphere? Studying the records, which began in 1755, some see an 11-year cycle, although there is much argument about quite how regular this is.

Record snowfalls draw skiers to snap up holiday bargains -Times Online

Despite the strength of the euro, British bargain hunters are heading to the snow-covered mountains of Europe to enjoy the best start to a skiing season for more than 20 years.
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Skiers say that these are the best European conditions for a generation, with the deepest snow to be found in the Swiss resorts of Saas-Fee and Andermatt, where the base is more than 3½m (11ft) thick.