What do sunspots mean

Ironically, the only way to really find out if phenomena like sunspots and solar wind are playing a larger role in climate change than most scientists now believe would be to significantly reduce our carbon emissions.

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Sunspots are areas where the magnetic field is about 2, times stronger than Earth's, much higher than anywhere else on the Sun. Because of the strong magnetic field, the magnetic pressure increases while the surrounding atmospheric pressure decreases.

This in turn lowers the temperature relative to its surroundings because the concentrated magnetic field inhibits the flow of hot, new gas from the Sun's interior to the surface. Sunspots tend to occur in pairs that have magnetic fields pointing in opposite directions.

A typical spot consists of a dark region called the umbra , surrounded by a lighter region known as the penumbra. The sunspots appear relatively dark because the surrounding surface of the Sun the photosphere is about 10, degrees F.

Sunspots are quite large as an average size is about the same size as the Earth. Sunspots, Solar Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections and their influence on Earth: Coronal Mass Ejections shown left and solar flares are extremely large explosions on the photosphere. In just a few minutes, the flares heat to several million degrees F. They occur near sunspots, usually at the dividing line between areas of oppositely directed magnetic fields.

Hot matter called plasma interacts with the magnetic field sending a burst of plasma up and away from the Sun in the form of a flare. Solar flares emit x-rays and magnetic fields which bombard the Earth as geomagnetic storms.

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. The storms can even change polarity in satellites which can damage sophisticated electronics.

Therefore scientists will often times preposition satellites to a different orientation to protect them from increased solar radiation when a strong solar flare or coronal mass ejection has occurred. Several sunspots on the "surface" of the Sun top and a closeup view of a sunspot group bottom.

Sunspots are dark, planet-sized regions that appear on the "surface" of the Sun. Sunspots are "dark" because they are cooler than their surroundings. Sunspots are only dark in contrast to the bright face of the Sun. The magnetic field lines near sunspots often tangle, cross, and reorganize. This can cause a sudden explosion of energy called a solar flare. Solar flares release a lot of radiation into space. If a solar flare is very intense, the radiation it releases can interfere with our radio communications here on Earth.

A loop of solar material, a coronal mass ejection CME , can also be seen rising up off the right limb of the Sun. Solar flares are sometimes accompanied by a coronal mass ejection CME for short. CMEs are huge bubbles of radiation and particles from the Sun. When charged particles from a CME reach areas near Earth, they can trigger intense lights in the sky, called auroras.