SUNSPOTS

  On the surface of the Sun, there can be seen dark areas. They are difficult to see from Earth because the Sun is so bright. It is also dangerous to look directly at the Sun. These dark areas are called Sunspots. They are much cooler than other areas of the sun, about 3000°c to 4000°c, compared with the temperatures of 5500°c to 6000°c on other areas of the sun. These sunspots start out as small dark areas, and then grow to larger dark areas before disappearing again. They only last for a few days. Bigger sunspots can grow to as large as 200,000 kilometres across and may last for months. This means that a sun spot of this size can contain up to fifteen Earths!!! This size is still small though for the sun, which would be able to contain about one million Earths!

Sunspots are created in a similar way to Solar Flares. The sun is extremely magnetic. This magnetism causes a "dampening down" of the sun, causing sun spots, and an increase in radiation, causing the flare. In the picture to the right, you can see a close-up shot of a sun spot. Notice the surface of the sun bubbling away, as if it was boiling.

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