... The Sun has come all of one day away from breaking its record for the longest period of inactivity for the last decade - reaching a mid-summer low and falling into yet another state of "hibernation". Yesterday, on the first day of autumn, new sunspots appeared on the surface of the Sun following an absence of almost 50 days. ... The first low lasted 51 days, from 21 July until 11 September last year. ... Now, almost a year later, it seems the Sun has hit a new low almost as "deep" as the first. ...