The solar wind - the stream of charged particles billowing away from
the Sun - is at its weakest for 50 years.

Scientists made the assessment after studying 18 years of data from
the Ulysses satellite which has sampled the space environment all
around our star.

They expect the reduced output to have effects right across the Solar
System.

Indeed, one impact is to diminish slightly the influence the Sun has
over its local environment which extends billions of kilometres into
space.

Much more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7632331.stm