By Kevan Hubbard | 2026-02-22
If no sunspots are seen today.
On 02/22/2026 10:12 am by Victor Rogus | Website | Sedona, Arizona, USA
This morning through partly cloudy skies we see the solar disk of our nearest star is indeed nearly spotless, but for one tiny sunspot (4374) invisible to me through the clouds.
The solar disk is almost blank, putting the sun on the verge of its first spotless day since 2022. If no sunspots are seen today, Feb 22, 2026, will be recorded as the first "spotless day" since 2022.
Spotless days are a key indicator the 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 2018-2020 (the last Solar Minimum) there were more than 700 spotless days!
Today's blank sun does not mean Solar Minimum has arrived. On the contrary, it is still years away. However, it does tell us that Solar Cycle 25 is waning. Sunspots will be back--probably tomorrow--but today is a preview of things to come. (Spaceweather.com).
103mm Jagers refractor, Badder Planetarium safety prism, using neutral tensity and a solar continuum filter, Losmandy GM-8 mount. Cannon 60Da camera. 650 FL. AT Prime focus.