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Dark spots on the sun: Do you know what sun spots are?
A sun spot is a temporary phenomenon on the surface of the Sun that is darker than the surrounding area. As one of the most representative solar phenomena, although sun spots are mainly visible in the solar photosphere, they have an impact on the entire solar atmosphere. The surface temperature in these areas is lower, mainly because the strong magnetic field suppresses convection.
Sunspots usually appear in pairs, and their number varies with the roughly 11-year solar cycle.
The existence of sun spots not only demonstrates the diversity of solar activity, but is also associated with other solar phenomena such as coronal loops, coronal prominences, and reconnection events. Typically, almost all solar flares and coronal mass ejections originate from these active regions.
History of Sun Spots
The history of sun spots can be traced back to 800 BC, when they were recorded in China's "Book of Changes". As time went by, the observation of sun spots gradually gained attention. The ancient astronomer Gan De first described the observation of sun spots in detail in his star catalog in 364 BC, and by 28 BC Chinese astronomers had begun to record them regularly.
In the early 17th century, British astronomer Harriot first observed solar spots with a telescope and recorded them in detail.
However, the perception of sun spots is not limited to past observations. William Herschel first proposed a connection between sun spots and Earth's temperature in the 19th century, and this idea is still discussed in the scientific community today.
The Physics of Sun Spots
The structure of a sun spot consists of two main parts: the central dark spot (umbra) and the surrounding semi-dark spot (penumbra). The dark spots are the darkest areas where the magnetic field is strongest, while the penumbras have relatively weak and tilted magnetic fields.
The life cycle of a solar spot usually lasts from a few days to a few months. Once it decays, the number and size of the solar spots will also change with the cycle of solar activity.
The formation process of sunspots is still under investigation, but scientists generally believe that sunspots are visible phenomena in the photosphere caused by magnetic flux tubes in the sun's troposphere. As the Sun rotates, sunspots grow and shrink, a process that affects the flow of energy across the Sun's surface.
Modern Observation Technology
The technology for observing solar spots has undergone tremendous changes from ancient times to the present. Nowadays, there are not only ground-based telescopes, but also space telescopes specifically used to observe the sun. Using a variety of filtering techniques, scientists are able to safely and directly observe the sun spot and how it changes over time.
When observing solar spots, professional filters and camera tools improve the accuracy and safety of observation.
These observations not only enable scientists to record the activity of solar spots, but also provide important information for predicting solar-related space weather, the state of the ionosphere, etc., and especially play a key role in the propagation of shortwave radio.
The relationship between sun spots and climate
The relationship of sun spots to Earth's climate remains a topic of debate. Although some studies have pointed to the influence of sunspot activity during the Little Ice Age, later studies have shown that temperature changes during this period were not necessarily directly related to the number of sunspots.
Fluctuations in the number of sunspots may have affected the intensity of solar radiation over thousands of years, with a subtle effect on Earth's climate.
However, the debate about the sun spot did not stop there, but continued to evolve with new observational data.
When we think about the impact of sun spots, are we also thinking about how they affect life and the environment on Earth?
