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Sunspot

Last post 10-05-2006 7:28 AM by Terry Kucera. 1 replies.
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  • 10-03-2006 7:47 AM

    Sunspot

    Mark C

    Do sunspots themselve's mov, or just the sun's rotating surface?

  • 10-05-2006 7:28 AM In reply to

    • Terry Kucera
    • Top 10 Contributor
    • Joined on 02-27-2005
    • NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, MD, USA
    • Posts 165

    Re: Sunspot motion

    Hi Mark.

    That is an interesting question, because one of the first ways people knew that the Sun rotates was by observing sunspots! Features other than sunspots rotate also, so we know the Sun as a whole is rotating and basically the spots are just going with it. However, if you watch an individual spot group you can see the spots moving relative to one another, so they are not completely fixed on one place on the Sun.

    The sun is not solid. Different parts of it rotate at different speeds and different kinds of features sometimes seem to move at different speeds. This all depends on what latitude they are at on the sun (how far north or south) and how far down below the surface they reach. It is a bit complicated and is something solar astronomers are still working to completely understand.

    cheers,
    Terry
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