Galileo observed them around the year 1612.
However, it seems that others had done the same, a year or so earlier.
Also it seems the Chinese astronomer Gan De recorded seeing sunspots
as early as 364 BC.
So, the answer is: probably at least as early as 364 BC. Then they were "rediscovered ", with the new invention of the telescope, around 1611.
Galileo was the first astronomer to use a telescope to observe celestial objects in detail. This helped him make groundbreaking discoveries such as the moons of Jupiter and the phases of Venus, which provided strong evidence for the heliocentric model of the solar system.
Galileo Galilei (from italy)
The ancient Chinese were among the first to observe and document sunspots as early as the 4th century BCE. They noted these dark spots on the sun's surface, which appear in cycles, indicating the dynamic nature of the sun.
Galileo Gailei is the first person credited with using the telescope for astronomical observations. He did not invent the telescope. He is the first to have seen moons going around Jupiter, the rings of Saturn (though he incorrectly identified them), and that the Moon had cliffs and craters.
He was not the first astronomer; there were plenty before him going back to the Babylonians at least. Galileo, however, was the first to use a telescope.
Galileo was the first astronomer to use a telescope to observe celestial objects in detail. This helped him make groundbreaking discoveries such as the moons of Jupiter and the phases of Venus, which provided strong evidence for the heliocentric model of the solar system.
Galileo Galilei
The ancient Chinese astronomers were among the first to observe sunspots, dating back to at least the 4th century BC. However, the first recorded telescopic observation of sunspots is attributed to Galileo Galilei in 1610.
Sunspots have been observed since ancient times, but the first recorded observation is attributed to Chinese astronomers in 364 BC. The first telescopic observation of sunspots is credited to Galileo Galilei in 1611.
Sunspots were first observed telescopically in late 1610 by the English astronomer Thomas Harriot and Frisian astronomers Johannes and David Fabricius
Galileo Galilei (from italy)
The ancient Chinese were among the first to observe and document sunspots as early as the 4th century BCE. They noted these dark spots on the sun's surface, which appear in cycles, indicating the dynamic nature of the sun.
Galileo first discovered the sunspots in 1610.
The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was the first to observe that the moon had craters. He made this discovery in 1609 through his telescope.
Galileo Gailei is the first person credited with using the telescope for astronomical observations. He did not invent the telescope. He is the first to have seen moons going around Jupiter, the rings of Saturn (though he incorrectly identified them), and that the Moon had cliffs and craters.
Sunspots were discovered in 1610 by Galileo.
He was not the first astronomer; there were plenty before him going back to the Babylonians at least. Galileo, however, was the first to use a telescope.