If you want to understand what the heliosphere is, then don't listen to the astrophysicists who explain things with the false wind analogy and mechanical bow shock dribble.
These guys are forgetting and or ignoring well defined areas of plasma physics that began with Langmuir and later with the work of Hannes Alfven.

The heliosphere and Earths magnetosphere are Langmuir sheaths or plasma double layers. Plasma of different charges will separate and form these protective barriers with the majority of the charge differential occurring across this boundary.

The lack of sunspots and slowing of the solar plasma (I hate using the word wind, it's a poor analogy) is the reason of course. But from what I have researched it may happened before, no way to verify it though.
The Muander minimum was a period between 1645 and 1715 where around 50 sunspots were recorded instead of the usual 50,000, so this was an extended period of low activity.
This is also around the same time as the little ice age.
Also in 99 the solar wind decreased drastically for a few days, the Earths double layer (magnetosphere) expanded to five times it's size and solar particles traveled directly into the north pole from the Sun in an effect called "polar rain" causing aurora.

Now for interests sake and a little 2012 speculation. I believe the radiation from the sun and the Earths plasma sheath are instrumental in affecting biology and possibly evolution. The resonance produced between the Earth and the protective plasma layer known as Schumann resonance has been shown to reflect the patterns of human brainwaves and has also been implicated in reproductive cycles and other biological functions. This is appears to be true from the studies I've read.

My mind races with possibilities on this subject. It brings to mind the evidence of large scale plasma instabilities in the Earths atmosphere witnessed by ancient man some 12,000 or 13,000 years ago as presented by Anthony Peratt. Hmm... there's that cycle again.
Also have to mention the link discovered by Maurice Cotterrell between the complex magnetic field cycles of the Sun and the Mayan calender. He's a little out there but some of his stuff has merit I think.

Just speculating, I'm not saying that an overnight evolutionary leap is in the making , If there is anything at all to 2012, I expect it would be a subtle shift in global consciousness that in time may have larger consequences.
I guess I'm in hoping for the world to change for the better. We sure could use a little more consciousness down here.
Indeed it may just be the beginning and end of a great cycle. I think that in of itself is remarkable even on that level for a so called primitive race.

As for the article, I'm not concerned. Articles like these often have that doomsday angle, simply so more people will read it, much like astrophysicists cooking up and submitting for publication fantastic fairy tales on how they imagine the universe to work.

So I presume they are going to use this as an excuse to tax something, like sun cream.

I don´t think its is a problem, maybe there are fluctuations in the sun over time, nothing stays the same, which is the main problem with our science today. As soon as something changes a bit they hit the alarm button.

Yay, earth will become a giant microwave.
:/

While i do find this news worrisome. I knew it was truly disastrous when I witnessed this:

Lets not worry about prophecies just yet. For now lets just call it nature running its course. That is unless the prophesy that signels the begining end of times happens which is the destruction of Isreal. If that happens we might want to be a little weary and start supplying our cellers so we can get out of the sun and survive. Atleast until the sun subsides, which it will because there are a few more prophesies to be fulfilled. You can't really have WW3 underground now can you?

Originally posted by bigvig316
Not everything that strange that happens to the sun or the Earth needs to be related to a biblical connotation. It is more than likely that this is a natural cycle and it will rebuild itself after a hundred years. We have only been able to study the sun and outer space for only the last 50-75 years. Don't just jump to a conclusion that this is the end for us and that we are all going to die. The study of space and the sun is infinitely smaller than that say of trees, or minerals, or water. We can't just allow ourselves to get hysterical.

If this is going to make it hard to live on Earth and make it harder to be outside. Remember, we are humans. We are the most adaptable species to ever lay foot on this planet. We will survive.

I thought cockroaches where?
or not?

Death is a part of the cycle. Because everything has an end, even "god".
The bible is written by human beings.
The same human beings that gassed 6 million people.
The same human beings that dont give a damn about others.
The same human beings that rape, torture, invade, lie and use drugs.
I wouldnt put my money any kind of holy book.
Because even if there would be a god, god would show himself to ALL living creatures, not just the ones that "believe". We already know that everything is going to end, and break apart, even the most stupidiest people know that. Nobody needs a bible to know that they will die when their time has come. Nobody needs a bible to know that one day earth may be hit by comets, giant floods, vulcanic eruptions, ect.
Still some people keep talking about the prediction in the bible about the end of times. And the strange thing is that the bibble doesnt says what happens after the end of times.

There will not be much to worry about with cosmic rays. When the sun goes quiet and cosmic rays increase, they hit the atmosphere and produce low level clouds. This changes the structure of the cosmic rays but the result is increased cloud cover. Increased cloud cover along with the absence of sunspots means that the global tempature of the Earth will begin to rapidly cool. The rate of cooling depends on the level of cosmic rays. But I will add this. Mammoths that were unearthed in Siberia and other places were found frozen solid standing up with cud still in their mouths. It is also important to note the tempature of the oceans because they have a lot to do with tempature changes on Earth. We are quickly going into an ice age.

In Matthew 24 it says about the end time, "And pray that your flight (escape from destruction) not be in the winter..."

Ronald Weinland.....Many have discarded and forgot about him and hes two books. He claims to be a prophet of God Almighty and he wrote about the changes that are happening right now in hes books he wrote over two years ago. And yes he spoke presumptiously he said many say...so u know what is from god and what is not..but one thing is for sure...Dec 14th 2008 you will remember this man of GOD if he truly is that and you will all be shocked and then run to the truth if you wish everyone has a chance and to not understand it now is normal but starting dec 14 08 if 60-90 days after that something CATASTOPHIC does not happen like it is said on the revised and now accurate timeline then you have nothing to worry about. But if it does then this Sun and all the other topics up here will be fully understood and no more conspiracy/zeitgeist etc.... just wait and see..NASA has no idea what there dealing with and them releasing it now does sound like propaganda a bit...i mean these scientest are trying to play GOD look at the LHC project looking for the GOD particle..we all know the dollar is going down we all know about lots of things but it was all prophesied in the BiBle before any of us were even born and thats just awesome...Someone that is a member of this site should put up a topic on this so everyone can do the "Wait and See" approach..Billions will die....ok now im open to see what all of you guys have to say may the hatred begin lol hehe just try to be open minded ppl...if u can post about ufo's n starlight commandos on here then this one deserves a shot....as for the sun dont worry about it hehe..

The Bible also stated frogs will fall from the sky and locusts will rain down... But I'm not buying a hard hat or stocking p on Raid just yet.

This is disturbing, but I have to wonder, first and foremost... Why is this the first we've heard? If this is such a big thing, then why is it that the news that trys to keep us up to date on current events had to wait 20 some odd years to let this baby out?

JEEZE!!! What a racket!

As BigVig alluded to, we've only been exploring space for 50 odd years now. I think we'll need a far longer period of data gathering to understand the fluctuations in a massive natural phenomenon like the heliosphere. Until then it's all conjecture. For all we know it will double in size over the next 20 years anyway.