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sunspots

Last post Mon, Oct 20 2008 10:40 AM by Isabel Hawkins. 2 replies.
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  • Mon, Oct 20 2008 9:20 AM

    sunspots

    Hector (Fx) 4th grade

     

    Are sunspots called anything else except a spot?

  • Mon, Oct 20 2008 10:40 AM In reply to

    Re: sunspots

    Hi Hector,

    "Sunspot" is the only way I have known these solar regions to be called in English. I am from Argentina, and we call them "manchas solares" - a translation of "Sunspot."

     Isabel Hawkins

  • Mon, Oct 20 2008 10:41 AM In reply to

    • KD Leka
    • Top 10 Contributor
    • Joined on Sun, Feb 27 2005
    • Boulder, Colorado
    • Posts 56

    Re: sunspots

    Hi -- when there's a  group of sunspots together, it's often called an "active region".  Active regions can have  only one or two spots, or they can have over 100 sunspots all gathered together.  The sunspots in an active region often appear and go through their sunspot life together, which is usually between a week and a month between the time sunspots first appear, grow, hang around, then dissappear.

     Sunspots have different parts which are sometimes referred to: the darkest center part is the "umbra", which is the coolest and has  the strongest magnetic fields.  Outside of the umbra is the "penumbra", where the magnetic field is a real tangled mess, some going up and some lying almost flat against the sun.  So, you may hear references to those parts of sunspots as well.

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