Live Science by Harry Baker 7/5/2023
The number of sunspots in June was higher than any month during the current or previous solar cycles, suggesting the upcoming solar peak will be far more active than initially anticipated.
The sun is partying like it's 2002. The number of observed sunspots on our home star last month was the highest for almost 21 years. It's one of the clearest signs yet we are fast approaching the sun's chaotic peak, known as solar maximum — and that it will be far more extreme than initially predicted.
In June, 163 sunspots appeared on the solar surface, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. The last time this many dark patches littered the sun was in September 2002, when 187 sunspots were observed.
Scientists pay particularly close attention to the number of sunspots because it is the easiest way to track changes in solar activity during the sun's roughly 11-year solar cycle. The dark patches are caused by the sun's magnetic field poking through the solar surface, which only happens as the field becomes increasingly tangled up with itself as the solar cycle progresses, before eventually flipping completely to kickstart the next cycle.
More:
https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/sunspot-numbers-hit-20-year-high-indicating-the-sun-is-fast-approaching-its-explosive-peak
