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Last Post 10/20/2008 9:41 AM by KD Leka

sunspots

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Jim Stryder

Basic Member

Posts:105

10/20/2008 8:20 AM
Hector (Fx) 4th grade Are sunspots called anything else except a spot?

Isabel Hawkins

New Member

Posts:42

10/20/2008 9:40 AM
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

KD Leka

Basic Member

Posts:115

10/20/2008 9:41 AM
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.