Why are there dark spots on the sun? Although noted for thousands of years, sunspots [
http://en.wikipedia…] have been known for decades to be regions of the Sun that are slightly depressed and cooled by the Sun's complex and changing magnetic field [
http://solar.physic…]. High resolution pictures like the above image [
http://www.nasa.gov…] from Japan's new Sun-watching Hinode satellite [
http://en.wikipedia…], however, are helping to increase modern understanding. In the center of the above image [
http://www.nasa.gov…] is a sunspot, but not seen in the usual orientation --this sunspot [
http://www.explorat…] is seen sideways. Of particular interest is erupting glowing gas [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that shows how the Sun's magnetic field comes right out of the spot [
http://solarscience…] center, but curves markedly around the spot edges. Better understanding [
http://www.nasa.gov…] of how the Sun ejects particles into space may result in more accurate predictions of solar storms that affect [
http://www.nasa.gov…] satellites, astronauts, and even power grids on Earth.
Explanation
Why are there dark spots on the sun? Although noted for thousands of years, sunspots [
http://en.wikipedia…] have been known for decades to be regions of the Sun that are slightly depressed and cooled by the Sun's complex and changing magnetic field [
http://solar.physic…]. High resolution pictures like the above image [
http://www.nasa.gov…] from Japan's new Sun-watching Hinode satellite [
http://en.wikipedia…], however, are helping to increase modern understanding. In the center of the above image [
http://www.nasa.gov…] is a sunspot, but not seen in the usual orientation --this sunspot [
http://www.explorat…] is seen sideways. Of particular interest is erupting glowing gas [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that shows how the Sun's magnetic field comes right out of the spot [
http://solarscience…] center, but curves markedly around the spot edges. Better understanding [
http://www.nasa.gov…] of how the Sun ejects particles into space may result in more accurate predictions of solar storms that affect [
http://www.nasa.gov…] satellites, astronauts, and even power grids on Earth.
Explanation
