What are Sunspots?? How are they formed??
Sunspots are thought to exist as a result of intense,localized magnetic fields that are trapped below the surface of the sun
At a solar minimum,spots associated with the new cycle appear at mid-latitudes.The magnetic fields are longitudinal,running north and south.However,as the sun rotates,the magnetic fields under the suns solar surface rotate at different speeds,with the equatorial region of the sun spinning at a slower rate than do regions at higher latitudes.This causes the magnetic fields to distort and to realign slowly in an eastwest direction.Tremendous energy builds up under the solar surface,starting at the higher(mid) latitudes and migrating towards the solar equator over the dour-to five yr period to a solar Maximum.As these fields build in magnetic potential,they erupt through the surface,forming a huge magnetic loop,The solar surface,where this eruption appears,cools significantly, causing that surface region to be darker than the surrounding solar surface.At solar maximum the magnetic fields are almost completely latitudinal.From this point sunspot activity begins to decline.At the end of roughly 11 years,the polarity at the poles associated with sunspots will reverse,the magnetic fields for spots associated with the new cycle will again be longitudinal,and the process starts all over.
The areas around the sunspots,called the Plage(because of the associated temperature differential and turbulent magnetic fields),becomes an electromatic and cosmic-ray generator.Energy levels in the spectrum ranging from visable through ultraviolent and x-ray emissions are elevated.When the magnetic field breaks down,a Flare results,emitting tremondous
quantiteis of radiation and electromatic particles.
Sunspots almosts always appear in groups.Groups may rage in size from small clusters of tiny specks a few hundred miles in dia. to enormous groups stretching nearly a quarter of a million miles across the suns surface and containing individual spots as large as 80,000 miles in diameter.... an area into which several planets the size of earth could easily disappear!!Sunspots,although embedded in the suns surface,appear to move in an east to west direction as the Sun rotates.If a spot is born on the side of the Sun out of view from earth,it will first become visible as it crosses the Suns eastern edge.It will then drift westward across the visible face of the solar disk,and disappear out of sight behind the western edge in slightly more than 13 1/2 days,which corresponds roughly to half the period of rotation of the Sun The spot then enters the hidden side of the Sun for the next 13 1/2 days.
The lifetime of a sunspot,or a sunspot group,varies from a few days toi severaL months.Larger sunspots often are visible during several solar rotations,reappearing roughly every 27 days.For this reason ,many terrestrial phenemena that are believed to be influenced by Sunspots tend to be at intervals of about 27 days. There you have it an explation of what are and how Sunspots are formed.Good Luck on you code om Ive been doing cw for over 35 yrs now and is the only way to communicate.73/GL/DX
DE K8PG-Paul CW Lives in the Heart of the Amateur :usa
