Have you ever seen those dark spots on a photograph of the Sun? Sunspots are the “beauty marks” of the Sun, and with the right equipment, can actually be photographed with ease!

What are Sunspots?

Sunspots are cooler areas of the Sun’s photosphere (the solar “surface”) that correspond to strong, localised magnetic fields. They inhibit the convection currents of hot gas and the radiation of heat. A sunspot consists of the central cooler umbra surrounded by a slightly hotter penumbra. Visually, these appear as dark patterns of spots on the solar disc.

The Relation to Solar Maximum

We have just passed the solar maximum in the Sun’s 11-year-long solar cycle. Over the next few years, there will be a decrease in solar sunspot activity: we will observe less sunspots. Additionally, this corresponds to less frequent Coronal Mass Ejections and weaker geomagnetic storms. Now is the best chance within the next decade to photograph sunspots and observe strong auroras.

Photographing Sunspots

The visible spectrum is actually the best way to easily photograph sunspots: it clearly shows the patterns of sunspots and their locations on the solar disc. Furthermore, white-light solar filters (that block >99% of visible sunlight) are relatively cheap. Sunspots can also be imaged in H-alpha (a spectral line associated to the hydrogen atom). However, H-alpha filters can cost hundreds of pounds.

^ Images of the solar disc and sunspots. Left: taken on March 1st 2025, Right: taken on June 22nd 2025. (Credits: Olesya Rtveliashvili)

Dangers of Solar Observation

You must take extra caution when doing any solar observations, whether it is solar photography or viewing a solar eclipse. The Sun’s extremely high brightness can severely damage your eyes and cause blindness. Moreover, any solar filter must be used for photographing the Sun. Otherwise, the electronics of your camera can easily become damaged. Moreover, avoid photographing for long periods of time on hot days as your camera can also start to overheat.

Observing and Imaging Sunspots

A method of observing sunspots is to use Telescopic Projection: this involves covering the objective of a telescope using a card with a pinhole of up to 2cm in diameter. The larger the piece of card, the better shade it provides leading to a greater contrasted projection of the Sun. The best place to do this is in a dark room where other light sources are removed. Place another flat card perpendicular to the axis of the telescope behind the eyepiece. The further away it is, the bigger but dimmer image of the Sun is projected. Sunspots may be visible using this method but can be difficult to set up and won’t guarantee their visibility.

Personally, I used a white-light solar filter and attached it to my DSLR Camera to image the sunspots. I zoomed in as much as I can and used the lowest exposure time as possible. In my case, this was 200mm, 1/8000 seconds with an ISO of 320-500. If possible, use a camera with a lens of 400mm for more zoomed in images of the Sun. Furthermore, I manually focused to produce clearer images of the sunspots (as seen above).

The next time you have clear day-time skies, try photographing the Sun’s beauty marks whilst the number of sunspots is still near maximum.