Sunspots are areas of the Sun that appear black, due to the temperature 1000 degrees lower than the rest of the surface. In this period of the cycle of the Sun, sunspots are almost completely absent: In this phase, extensive and persistent coronal holes are formed, regions that appear darker as they emit less X-rays and ultraviolet radiation and are able to hurl themselves into space fast gusts of solar wind, which is a dense stream of particles emitted by the sun.
When they hit the Earth, these gusts can trigger polar auroras, geomagnetic storms and changes in the belt of the atmosphere called the "ionosphere" that will affect the propagation of radio waves. Furthermore, when the Sun has very low activity, the solar wind is less dense and does not protect the Solar System in the same way from cosmic rays, made of highly energetic particles. As a result, these particles are able to penetrate very easily and if they hit the Earth they can create problems for satellites and the media.