What are solar sunspots?

Sunspots are dark areas that become apparent at the Sun’s photosphere as a result of intense magnetic flux pushing up from further within the solar interior. This causes cooler (7000 F), less dense and darker areas at the heart of these magnetic fields than in the surrounding photosphere (10,000 F) – seen as sunspots.

What are sunspots and how do they affect us?

Sunspots are storms on the sun’s surface that are marked by intense magnetic activity and play host to solar flares and hot gassy ejections from the sun’s corona. It emanates from the sun and influences galactic rays that may in turn affect atmospheric phenomena on Earth, such as cloud cover.

What are sunspots caused by?

Sunspots are caused by disturbances in the Sun’s magnetic field welling up to the photosphere, the Sun’s visible “surface”. The powerful magnetic fields in the vicinity of sunspots produce active regions on the Sun, which in turn frequently spawn disturbances such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

What is a sunspot and how often do they occur?

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.

Are sunspots hot or cold?

Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun. They appear dark because they are cooler than other parts of the Sun’s surface. The temperature of a sunspot is still very hot though—around 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit!

How hot are sunspots?

But as Fisher points out, sunspots are actually quite hot. “Instead of being about 5700 degrees kelvin like the rest of the photosphere, the temperature of a sunspot is more like 4000 degrees kelvin. But that is still very hot, compared to anything here on the earth.”

Why is the sunspots important?

Sunspots are often precursors to solar flares – intense outbursts of energy from the surface of the Sun – so monitoring sunspots is important to understanding why and how flares occur. Additionally, understanding the frequency of flares on other stars is one of the keys to understanding their chance of harboring life.

How do sunspots affect living things?

Its light provides energy for photosynthesis in plants and algae, the basis for the food chain, which ultimately feeds almost all life on earth. Sunspots also have an indirect but significant impact on life here on earth. Ordinarily, the earth’s own magnetic field protects the earth from most of the sun’s emissions.

What are sunspots called?

Age spots on the shoulder and back Age spots are also called sunspots, liver spots and solar lentigines. Age spots are very common in adults older than 50, but younger people can get them if they spend time in the sun.

What do sunspots and solar flares have in common?

Terms in this set (15) What do sunspots, solar prominences, and solar flares all have in common? They are all strongly influenced by magnetic fields on the Sun. Coronal mass ejections and other activity associated with the sunspot cycle can disrupt radio communications and knock out sensitive electronic equipment.

How often do sunspots occur quizlet?

the number of sunspots change from day to day but the greatest amount of solar activity occurs every 11 years.

Do sunspots affect weather?

If sunspots are active, more solar flares will result creating an increase in geomagnetic storm activity for Earth. Therefore during sunspot maximums, the Earth will see an increase in the Northern and Southern Lights and a possible disruption in radio transmissions and power grids.