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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
SDO;
Processing & Copyright:
åenol åanli &
Uäur äkizler;
Text:
Cecilia Chirenti
(NASA
GSFC,
UMCP,
CRESST II)
Explanation:
How many
sunspots can you see?
The central image shows the many sunspots that occurred in 2025, month by month around the circle, and all together in the grand central image.
Each sunspot is magnetically cooled and so appears dark -- and can last from days to months.
Although the
featured images originated from
NASA's
Solar Dynamics Observatory,
sunspots can be easily seen with a small telescope or
binoculars equipped with a
solar filter.
Very large sunspot groups like
recent AR 4366 can even be seen with
eclipse glasses.
Sunspots are still
counted by eye,
but the total number is not considered exact
because they frequently
change and break up.
Last year, 2025, coincided with a
solar maximum, the period of most
intense magnetic activity during its 11-year
solar cycle.
Our Sun remains
unpredictable in many ways,
including when it ejects
solar flares that will impact the
Earth, and
how active
the next solar cycle will be.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sun - solar cycle
Publications with words: Sun - solar cycle
See also:
- APOD: 2026 February 8 Á Active Sunspot Region 4366 Crosses the Sun
- APOD: 2025 December 7 Á The Sun and Its Missing Colors
- APOD: 2025 May 21 Á International Space Station Crosses the Sun
- APOD: 2025 March 16 Á Venus and the Triply Ultraviolet Sun
- APOD: 2024 September 2 Á A Triangular Prominence Hovers Over the Sun
- APOD: 2024 August 18 Á A Solar Prominence Eruption from SDO
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun