How do sunspots are formed?

Sunspots are caused by disturbances in the Sun's magnetic field welling up to the photosphere, the Sun's visible "surface". The powerful magnetic fields in the vicinity of sunspots produce active regions on the Sun, which in turn frequently spawn disturbances such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

1. What causes sunspots on Earth?
2. How are sunspots formed kids?
3. Are sunspots hot or cold?
4. What do sunspots mean?
5. What is the corona in the Sun?
6. What are sunspots simple?
7. How many sunspots are on the Sun?
8. Can sunspots be red?
9. Does the Sun rotate?
10. What is the sunspot theory?
11. Can you see sunspots from Earth?
12. How does solar cycle affect Earth?
13. What is in the chromosphere?
14. What is eclipse of the Sun?
15. How hot is the chromosphere of the Sun?

What causes sunspots on Earth?

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.

How are sunspots formed kids?

Sunspots are dark areas that appear on the surface of the Sun. They are caused by strong magnetic activity within the Sun. Sunspots are not permanent and they can move slowly across the surface of Sun changing size as they move. The appearance of sunspots follows the solar cycle of eleven years.

Are sunspots hot or cold?

Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun. They appear dark because they are cooler than other parts of the Sun's surface. The temperature of a sunspot is still very hot though—around 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit!

What do sunspots mean?

Sunspots are storms on the sun's surface that are marked by intense magnetic activity and play host to solar flares and hot gassy ejections from the sun's corona. ... It emanates from the sun and influences galactic rays that may in turn affect atmospheric phenomena on Earth, such as cloud cover.

What is the corona in the Sun?

corona, outermost region of the Sun's atmosphere, consisting of plasma (hot ionized gas). It has a temperature of approximately two million kelvins and an extremely low density. The corona continually varies in size and shape as it is affected by the Sun's magnetic field.

What are sunspots simple?

A sunspot is an area of high magnetic activity, on the surface of the Sun. Sunspots produce bright light, but not as much as the surface around them, so they appear dark by comparison. They are cooler than the rest of the sun. ... A sunspot cycle of eleven years has been found, with changes in activity.

How many sunspots are on the Sun?

At Solar Maximum, there will be up to 200 sunspots on the Sun at one time.

Can sunspots be red?

People often mistake sunspots for age spots. Age spots are the brown marks people over the age of 45 often see on their skin; sunspots are red and feel scaly to the touch.

Does the Sun rotate?

The Sun rotates on its axis once in about 27 days. ... Since the Sun is a ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly like the solid planets and moons do. In fact, the Sun's equatorial regions rotate faster (taking only about 24 days) than the polar regions (which rotate once in more than 30 days).

What is the sunspot theory?

Scientists have a theory as to what causes sunspots. It is believed that the rotation of the sun causes distortion in the magnetic field. These distortions cause magnetic areas to break through the photosphere, resulting in what we see as sunspots.

Can you see sunspots from Earth?

Sunspots expand and contract as they move across the surface of the Sun, with diameters ranging from 16 km (10 mi) to 160,000 km (100,000 mi). Larger sunspots can be visible from Earth without the aid of a telescope.

How does solar cycle affect Earth?

The Sun's irradiance has its greatest effect on Earth's upper atmosphere, while the lower atmosphere insulates Earth from the increased heat. If the Sun were driving Earth's warming, one would expect to see that upper atmosphere getting increasingly hot.

What is in the chromosphere?

The chromosphere is above the photosphere, the visible "surface" of the Sun. It lies below the solar corona, the Sun's upper atmosphere, which extends many thousands of kilometers above the chromosphere into space. The plasma (electrically charged gas) in the chromosphere has a very low density.

What is eclipse of the Sun?

An eclipse of the Sun happens when the New Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking out the Sun's rays and casting a shadow on parts of Earth. The Moon's shadow is not big enough to engulf the entire planet, so the shadow is always limited to a certain area (see map illustrations below).

How hot is the chromosphere of the Sun?

the chromosphere is the innermost atmospheric layer. It is just above the photosphere. Here the temperature begins to rise again, to about 36,000 degrees F. Above the chromosphere is the transistion layer, where temperatures increase 6000 to over half-a-million degrees.