Sun, spotted: Our speckled star shines over New York City (photo) - Space.com

Krivenyshev took the photos using a Canon EOS7D camera, with a solar filter attached for the close-up.

Caution: Do not attempt to get such shots unless you too have a solar filter.

Sunspots occur where solar magnetic fields are especially strong, and they serve as launch pads for flares and eruptions of superhot plasma known as coronal mass ejections.

For centuries, scientists have counted sunspots as a way to gauge solar activity.

That activity waxes and wanes on an 11-year cycle!

The latest one, solar cycle 25, began in December 2019 and is expected to be fairly quiet, as solar cycle 24 was.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more.