Maunder Minimum

American  

[mahn-der min-uh-muhm] / ˈmɑn dər ˈmɪn ə məm /

noun

1. a period between 1645 and 1715 characterized by unusually low sunspot activity and global cooling.

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Maunder minimum Scientific  

/ môn′dər,män′- /

1. A period of unusually low sunspot activity lasting from approximately 1645 to 1715, as noted in records kept by contemporary observers. The Maunder minimum corresponds roughly to the middle and coldest portion of the climatic period known as the Little Ice Age, and although no definitive link has yet been proved, many scientists believe that the two phenomena are likely related. The Maunder minimum is named after its discoverer, British astronomer Edward Walter Maunder (1851–1924).

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Example Sentences

“I am more convinced this is a Maunder Minimum star than anything else I’ve seen,” says Jennifer van Saders, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, who was not involved in the discovery.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 9, 2022

The Maunder Minimum was a time of exceptionally low temperatures in Europe—so low that this period is described as the Little Ice Age.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Suppose we experience another Maunder Minimum on Earth, and it is accompanied by a drop in the average temperature like the Little Ice Age in Europe.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

As far as anybody knows, a repeat of the Maunder Minimum could start within a few years with the next dip in the number of sunspots.

From Science Magazine • May 26, 2011

The Maunder Minimum occurred in the latter half of the 17th Century - a period when Europe experienced a series of harsh winters, which has been dubbed by some as the Little Ice Age.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2010