{"id":428053,"date":"2026-02-26T15:31:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=428053"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:31:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:31:46","slug":"sunspots-abruptly-disappear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=428053","title":{"rendered":"Sunspots Abruptly Disappear"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"723\" data-attachment-id=\"428056\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=428056\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?fit=4096%2C4096&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4096,4096\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0hmi4096_blank\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?fit=723%2C723&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=723%2C723&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-428056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=1536%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=2048%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=450%2C450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=550%2C550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?resize=50%2C50&amp;ssl=1 50w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?w=2169&amp;ssl=1 2169w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2026\/02\/25\/sunspots-abruptly-disappear\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Via&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/spaceweather.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spaceweather.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After 4 years of non-stop sunspot activity, the face of the sun is suddenly blank\u2013no sunspots. The first spotless days since 2022 herald the distant approach of a new Solar Minimum.<br><br>Click on&nbsp;this image&nbsp;to magnify it and take a careful look around the solar disk. Can you find any sunspots?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wattsupwiththat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hmi4096_blank-scaled.webp?quality=75&amp;ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wattsupwiththat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hmi4096_blank.webp?resize=720%2C720&amp;quality=75&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10440425\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week has brought the first \u201cspotless days\u201d since 2022. So far, Feb. 22nd, Feb. 23rd, and Feb 24th have had completely blank suns. This breaks an uninterrupted 4 years of non-stop sunspot activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does this mean? It\u2019s an early warning of Solar Minimum, the low point of the 11-year solar cycle. During years around Solar Minimum, whole months can go by without a single sunspot, racking up dozens of spotless days in a row. Between 2018 and 2020 (the last Solar Minimum) there were more than 700 spotless days in total. You can find the daily counts&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/spaceweather.com\/images2026\/23feb26\/righthere.jpg\">right here<\/a>&nbsp;on Spaceweather.com. The Current Spotless Stretch is 3 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solar Cycle 25 still has years of life left in it. However, these spotless days tell us that the current cycle is waning. Sunspots will be back\u2013probably tomorrow\u2013but this week is a preview of things to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After 4 years of non-stop sunspot activity, the face of the sun is suddenly blank\u2013no sunspots. The first spotless days since 2022 herald the distant approach of a new Solar Minimum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":428056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691834975,691828714,691834020,691819083],"class_list":["post-428053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-current-solar-cycle-25","tag-solar-minimum","tag-spaceweather-com","tag-sunspots","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0hmi4096_blank.jpg?fit=4096%2C4096&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1Nm5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":256125,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=256125","url_meta":{"origin":428053,"position":0},"title":"Reversed-Polarity Sunspot","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/05\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"New sunspot AR3296 is breaking the law:\u00a0Hale\u2019s Law. The sunspot\u2019s magnetic field is reversed compared to other nearby sunspots in the sun\u2019s northern hemisphere.","rel":"","context":"In \"NASA\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory\"","block_context":{"text":"NASA\u2019s Solar Dynamics Observatory","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=nasas-solar-dynamics-observatory"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screenshot-2023-05-05-195110-1.png?fit=835%2C586&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screenshot-2023-05-05-195110-1.png?fit=835%2C586&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screenshot-2023-05-05-195110-1.png?fit=835%2C586&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0Screenshot-2023-05-05-195110-1.png?fit=835%2C586&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":424776,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=424776","url_meta":{"origin":428053,"position":1},"title":"A MAJOR SUNSPOT IS FACING EARTH \u2013 Potential for Huge X-Class Solar Flares","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/05\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"There's currently a major sunspot region (designated AR4366 or Region 4366) facing Earth that's been extremely active, producing multiple X-class solar flares\u2014the strongest category\u2014and raising concerns about potential for more huge flares.","rel":"","context":"In \"Coronal Mass Ejection\u00a0(CME)\"","block_context":{"text":"Coronal Mass Ejection\u00a0(CME)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coronal-mass-ejection-cme"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-05-165205.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":261155,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=261155","url_meta":{"origin":428053,"position":2},"title":"How Big was Carrington\u2019s Sunspot?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"If you want to have a bit of fun with ChatGPT, ask it the following question:\u00a0\u201cHow big was Carrington\u2019s sunspot?","rel":"","context":"In \"1859\"","block_context":{"text":"1859","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=1859"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0og_drawing_crop2-1.webp?fit=1024%2C485&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0og_drawing_crop2-1.webp?fit=1024%2C485&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0og_drawing_crop2-1.webp?fit=1024%2C485&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0og_drawing_crop2-1.webp?fit=1024%2C485&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":265742,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=265742","url_meta":{"origin":428053,"position":3},"title":"Sunspot Counts Hit 21-Year\u00a0High","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/06\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The sun is partying like it\u2019s 2002. That\u2019s the last time sunspot counts were as high as they are now. The monthly average sunspot number for June 2023 was 163, according to the Royal Observatory of Belgium\u2019s\u00a0Solar Influences Data Analysis Center.","rel":"","context":"In \"Royal Observatory of Belgium\"","block_context":{"text":"Royal Observatory of Belgium","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=royal-observatory-of-belgium"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0nasa-sunspot-activity-oct-26-1_3562309.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0nasa-sunspot-activity-oct-26-1_3562309.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0nasa-sunspot-activity-oct-26-1_3562309.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0nasa-sunspot-activity-oct-26-1_3562309.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0nasa-sunspot-activity-oct-26-1_3562309.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":237567,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=237567","url_meta":{"origin":428053,"position":4},"title":"Sunspot Counts Hit a 7-Year High","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/03\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"December was a busy month on the sun. How busy? 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