sunspot
Sign in to saveSunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. Sunspots appear within active regions, usually in pairs of opposite magnetic polarity. Their number varies according to the approximately 11-year solar cycle.
AI overview
Sunspots are temporarily darker areas on the Sun's surface where concentrated magnetic fields prevent normal heat circulation, making those regions cooler than their surroundings. They matter because their numbers follow a predictable roughly 11-year cycle, making them useful for understanding solar activity and its potential effects on Earth.
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Article
16 sectionsContents
- History
- Physics
- Morphology
- Lifecycle
- Formation
- Decay
- Solar cycle
- Longer-period trends
- Modern observation
- Application
- Starspot
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
- Sunspot data
Sunspots are temporary spots on the Sun's surface that are darker than the surrounding area. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. Sunspots appear within active regions, usually in pairs of opposite magnetic polarity. Their number varies according to the approximately 11-year solar cycle.
Individual sunspots or groups of sunspots may last anywhere from a few days to a few months, but eventually decay. Sunspots expand and contract as they move across the surface of the Sun, with diameters ranging from to . Larger sunspots can be visible from Earth without the aid of a telescope. They may travel at relative speeds, or proper motions, of a few hundred meters per second when they first emerge.