One way to track the solar cycle is by counting the number of sunspots, which are dark, cooler patches on the Sun’s surface.

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. These processes follow the solar cycle, an 11-year cycle of increasing and decreasing activity on ...

Massive solar flares, graceful eruptions of solar material, and an enormous sunspot make up some of the imagery captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in 2013 and 2014. A year ago this weekend, ...

There are many things with spots: Dalmatians, leopards, ladybugs, overripe bananas, and guys with bald spots are all great examples. Another thing with spots is the Sun! That's right! The Sun, as it ...

The sun’s activity follows an 11-year cycle, known as the solar cycle, which involves phases of intense solar activity. The peak of this cycle, referred to as solar maximum, has long been anticipated ...

Activity on the sun is not constant; it varies along a cycle of about 11 years. The peak of this solar cycle — called solar maximum — is when sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) ...

The massive sunspot that sparked an "extreme" geomagnetic storm in May 2024 unleashed hundreds of other dangerous solar ...

NASA scientists are warning that the Sun’s internal engine is behaving in ways they have not seen in years, pointing to an ...

The sun’s outer atmosphere resembles a pufferfish.

After a calm week, the sun erupted again. A powerful M5.1 solar flare burst from an emerging sunspot region, shaking the stillness of space weather and igniting new forecasts of heightened activity.