Reasons why sun spots are so interesting to watch.
Published on 11 Sep 2011 at 12:00 am.
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Sunspots are interesting to watch because they only come around every eleven years or so. Why eleven years? No one really knows.
A sunspot is found on the surface of the sun, or the photosphere. They-re dark because they-re cooler than the area around them. Their magnetic field is also extremely strong, about 3,000 times stronger than the rest of the sun. They even have magnetic poles. Though they look tiny on the sun-s surface, they can be 40,000 miles across.
A sunspot has a dark center called the umbra, and a somewhat lighter region called the penumbra.Want more? Click here/tag They usually come in groups and each sunspot lasts for a few weeks. They can also be seen rotating around the photosphere. The number of sunspots increases and deceases over the eleven year period, and at the end of this period their magnetic poles reverse themselves. As the time comes for sunspots to increase, there-s usually an increase in solar flares. These are great eruptions on the sun that can actually reach earth and interfere with power lines and radio signals. These flares can have the energy of 10 million hydrogen bombs. When there are few solar flares, there are few sunspots as well.