Where are sunspots 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 are sunspots and where are they located?
2. What do sunspots usually form in?
3. Where do sunspots or solar flares occur?
4. What layer do we find sunspots?
5. What are sunspots geography?
6. What do sunspots mean?
7. Where does the energy of our sun come from?
8. Where do solar winds come from?
9. Why do sunspots move?
10. What causes sunspots quizlet?
11. What do sunspots tell us about the sun?
12. How many sunspots are on the Sun?
13. Can you see sunspots from Earth?
14. How hot is the corona of the Sun?

What are sunspots and where are they located?

Sunspots are darker, cooler areas on the surface of the sun in a region called the photosphere. ... Sunspots occur over regions of intense magnetic activity, and when that energy is released, solar flares and big storms called coronal mass ejections erupt from sunspots.

What do sunspots usually form in?

The turbulent motions in the Sun's interior fragment the loops in the solar magnetic field. Sunspots generally appear in opposite-polarity pairs or in opposite-polarity groups when the magnetic field is fractured.

Where do sunspots or solar flares occur?

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. Solar flares are a sudden explosion of energy caused by tangling, crossing or reorganizing of magnetic field lines near sunspots. The surface of the Sun is a very busy place.

What layer do we find sunspots?

The photosphere is the lowest layer of the solar atmosphere. It is essentially the solar "surface" that we see when we look at the Sun in "white" (i.e. regular, or visible) light. When we observe sunspots and faculae (bright little cloud-like features) we are observing them in the photosphere.

What are sunspots geography?

Sunspots are areas where the magnetic field is about 2,500 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.

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.

Where does the energy of our sun come from?

Solar energy is created by nuclear fusion that takes place in the sun. Fusion occurs when protons of hydrogen atoms violently collide in the sun's core and fuse to create a helium atom. This process, known as a PP (proton-proton) chain reaction, emits an enormous amount of energy.

Where do solar winds come from?

The solar wind is created by the outward expansion of plasma (a collection of charged particles) from the Sun's corona (outermost atmosphere). This plasma is continually heated to the point that the Sun's gravity can't hold it down. It then travels along the Sun's magnetic field lines that extend radially outward.

Why do sunspots move?

As the sunspots are a result of magnetic processes in the Sun, they move in the direction of its magnetic field lines. As shown in Figure 9 the Sun's magnetic field lines are extended parallel to the Page 14 equator and become twisted. Therefore, sunspots move mainly parallel to the equator.

What causes sunspots quizlet?

What causes sunspots? Magnetic fields breaking through the photosphere inhibit gas motion where the field is strong.

What do sunspots tell us about the sun?

Studying the surface of the sun can reveal small, dark areas that vary in number and location. These sunspots, which tend to cluster in bands above and below the equator, result from the interaction of the sun's surface plasma with its magnetic field. But don't let the numbers fool you. ...

How many sunspots are on the Sun?

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

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 hot is the corona of the Sun?

The outermost atmospheric layer is the corona, which gets really hot, almost 2,000,000 degrees F. This is where the solar wind begins. These layers can only be seen during total solar eclipses. Here is where we see towering masses of luminous gas, called filaments or prominences, on the solar limb against the dark sky.