Where the sun is in its 11-year rhythm
Sunspot numbers peaked in October 2024 and have fallen about 41% since. NOAA expects the decline to continue, with a quiet sun again around 2030. Strong solar storms can still happen on the way down.
Sunspot number is a count of dark spots on the sun's surface, and the standard measure of how active the sun is. Single months jump around, so the trend line averages 13 months. The shaded band is the range NOAA considers likely.
Astronomers have counted sunspots since the 1700s, and the sun has risen and fallen like this the whole time. The tallest cycle on record is Cycle 19, which peaked at 285 in 1958. Cycle 25 peaked at 161.
The last 4 cycles lined up from the month each one began. The horizontal axis is years into the cycle.
Source: NOAA SWPC — sunspot numbers and 10.7cm radio flux, updated daily
