Sunspot activity during the dawning years of the twenty-first century has been a rollercoaster ride. In 2004, it was reported that there were more sunspots on the Sun than the Earth had seen in some 8,000 years. The next year, however, there was an abrupt drop-off in sunspot activity, a trend that has continued through 2008 and into 2009. In fact, during the last months of 2008, there were almost no sunspots at all.