I've drawn a circle around Sunspot 1005 on this NASA photo.
Sunspots have begun reappearing, perhaps signaling the end of a puzzling drought in solar activity. A new spot ~ called 1005 ~ appeared on Saturday, the third spot in three weeks.
The Sun this year began one of its 11-year solar cycles and since the beginning of the year had been nearly spot free.
The amount of activity in a solar cycle influences earth’s power grids and satellites, and can be potentially damaging. Sunspots also are believed to have profound effects on Earth's climate, as explained in this earlier post.
Solar physicists are split on whether the coming months will produce a small number of sunspots or if the activity will dramatically increase. The faster sunspots return, the more severe solar weather will be in the coming decade, according to New Scientist.
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