|
Credit & Copyright: National Solar Observatory
Explanation:
Our Sun has spots!
These spots
appear dark in photographs like the one above, but
in fact sunspots are quite bright - they are just dark compared
to the rest of the Sun. Sunspots
are about the size of the Earth and
frequently occur in groups, as shown above. Sunspots
occur when a concentrated portion of the Solar magnetic field
pokes through the surface. This field slows energy from entering
the sunspot
region, causing sunspots to appear cooler, darker, and lower than
the surrounding surface. Sunspots
typically last about a month or two before dissipating. The number
of sunspots
is always changing, generally going from a maximum to a minimum about every 5 ½ years.
In fact, the Sun
just passed a minimum last year. The Sun and sunspots should never be looked at directly.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day