When did sunspots start?
When did sunspots start? Galileo and the German Jesuit Christoph Scheiner each saw them in 1611, and vied bitterly in their lifetimes over who deserved the credit for discovering them. Thomas Harriot, of course, was very likely the first person to see sunspots through a telescope in December 1610. Which year had the highest number of sunspots? Solar maximum occurred in April 2014 with sunspots peaking at 114 for the solar cycle, well below average, which is 179. Solar Cycle 24's progression was unusual. The Sun's Northern Hemisphere led the sunspot cycle, peaking over two years ahead of the Southern...