The International Space Station Transits the Sun

Explanation: That's no sunspot. It's the International Space Station (ISS) caught by chance passing in front of the Sun. Sunspot s, individually, have a dark central umbra , a lighter surrounding penumbra, and no solar panels. By contrast, the ISS is a complex and multi-spired mechanism, one of the largest and most sophisticated machines ever created by humanity . Also, sunspots occur on the Sun , whereas the ISS orbits the Earth . Transiting the Sun is not very unusual for the ISS , which orbits the Earth about every 90 minutes, but getting one's timing and equipment just right for a great image is rare. Strangely, besides that fake spot, the Sun, last week, lacked any real sunspots . Sunspots have been rare on the Sun since the dawn of the current Solar Minimum , a period of low solar activity. Although fewer sunspots have been recorded during this Solar Minimum than for many previous decades , the low solar activity is not, as yet, very unusual .