If the character of the solar wind is like that of the winds on Earth, i.e., mild, steady, and global, then sunspots and solar flares are like lightning and tornadoes, i.e., powerful, but affecting only a small area.
The diameters of sunspots are frequently larger than that of the Earth: the biggest observed sunspot was more than 10 times larger than the diameter of the Earth. The first Westerner to observe sunspots was Galileo Galilei. He mentioned them in his book Sidereus Nuncius. Although Galilei was the first Westerner, the Chinese had already made earlier observations with the naked eye. In fact one can often observe large sunspots with the naked eye just before sunset.
