Jan 9 2014 AR1944 Sun Spot
Active Region 1944 (AR1944) is huge, and is actually a cluster of more than 60 individual sunspots.
It was a balmy -11*C today, this is beach weather compared to the -40*C a few days ago.
Sunspots are areas where the Sun’s magnetic field is very active. In a nutshell, parcels of hot, ionized gas inside the Sun are buoyant and rise up (like hot air balloons). Usually they reach the surface, cool, and sink back down (this process is called convection). However, these bubbles of gas can have strong magnetic fields embedded in them, and when a bubble reaches the surface of the Sun; its magnetic field can interact with those of other bubbles. This can act like a trap, preventing the bubble from sinking once it cools. The Sun glows due to its heat and a cooler patch will therefore look darker.
Jan 9 2014 AR1944 Sun Spot
Active Region 1944 (AR1944) is huge, and is actually a cluster of more than 60 individual sunspots.
It was a balmy -11*C today, this is beach weather compared to the -40*C a few days ago.
Sunspots are areas where the Sun’s magnetic field is very active. In a nutshell, parcels of hot, ionized gas inside the Sun are buoyant and rise up (like hot air balloons). Usually they reach the surface, cool, and sink back down (this process is called convection). However, these bubbles of gas can have strong magnetic fields embedded in them, and when a bubble reaches the surface of the Sun; its magnetic field can interact with those of other bubbles. This can act like a trap, preventing the bubble from sinking once it cools. The Sun glows due to its heat and a cooler patch will therefore look darker.