Sunspot

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A sunspot is a temporarily darker region on the Sun's visible surface where concentrated magnetic fields suppress convection and reduce the local temperature. Sunspots commonly occur in groups containing regions of opposite magnetic polarity.

Sunspot numbers rise and fall in an approximately 11-year solar cycle. Solar maximum has many sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections, while solar minimum may include long intervals with few visible spots.

The Sun's large-scale magnetic polarity reverses near each maximum, producing a complete magnetic or Hale cycle of about 22 years. Individual sunspots may last from days to months and can be larger than Earth.

Sunspot records are a major indicator of solar magnetic activity. The cycle affects ultraviolet radiation, the solar wind, cosmic-ray modulation, radio propagation, satellites, auroras, and other aspects of space weather.

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• Source / publisher: Wikipedia
• URL type: WWW
• Credits: Wikipedia
• URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunspot