Intensitygrams—images of the Sun in filtered visible light—based on data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory telescope on February 18, 2020 (right), near the minimum of the last solar cycle, and on August 10, 2024, near the solar maximum. Dark patches called sunspots are easier to see than their companion faculae, diffuse bright areas that contribute to making the Sun slightly brighter during solar maximum. Images from NASA SDO.