All sunspots have disappeared from the sun.

Not a single spot, even the smallest, is currently visible on the side of the Sun facing Earth. The star is a perfect disk without any features.

Spots are practically an integral part of the Sun\'s surface and are associated with its magnetic field—dark areas of the surface form in areas of highest magnetic flux concentration. Since solar flares draw energy from magnetic fields, the number and area of spots correlate with solar activity. A complete disappearance of spots occurs only during periods of extremely low activity, usually during years of solar minimum.

The last time the Sun was spotless was December 11, 2021, more than four years ago.

Yesterday, the solar flare index also reached zero, for the first time since 2024.

For comparison, you can see what the Sun looked like on this same day exactly one year ago here.

Historically, there are long (several decades) periods of sharp declines in the number of sunspots. The most famous of these is the so-called Maunder Minimum, which lasted from 1645 to 1715 and coincided with the coldest phase of the Little Ice Age—a prolonged period of abnormally cold and harsh winters in Europe and North America.

In the current solar situation (just 1.5 years after the cycle maximum), the observed depression in activity cannot be prolonged and should end eventually. Such a sharp drop in solar activity, especially after an exceptionally turbulent start to the year, was nevertheless unexpected.