Description

A sunspot is a (relatively) cool area on the Sun’s surface (photosphere) which has an enormous amount of magnetic activity. A sunspot is a temporary phenomena on the Sun’s photosphere. The amount of sunspots visible at any time on the Sun changes periodically, as the Sun goes through a cycle of activity which lasts roughly 11 years.

The strong magnetic fields of sunspots are also responsible for solar flares, which in turn cause the Aurora Borealis (Northern and Southern Lights) here on Earth.

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Image data

Name Sun
Type G-type main-sequence star
Age ~ 4.6 billion years
Absolute magnitude 4.83
Spectral classification G2V
Distance 1 AU – 8m 19s at light speed
from Milky Way core 27.200 ly
Equatorial radius 695.700 km – 109 Earths
Mass 333.000 Earths
Eq. Surface gravity 27,94 G
Sidereal rot. period 25,05 days
Apparant magnitude -26,74