Sunspot 652 - unprecedented in the History of Mankind (July 23, 2004)

Is there some sort of baseline that is considered "normal" to which we can compare these recent images?

I mean now that we have SOHO out there looking at the sun 24/7 we are bound to see more detailed images of sunspots and coronal mass ejections, especially now that we are entering a solar max period -- a normal period which we have been through countless times in the past.