Sun spots.

Periodically, the Sun is covered with dark spots around the entire perimeter. They were first discovered with the naked eye by ancient Chinese astronomers, while the official discovery of spots took place at the beginning of the 17th century, during the appearance of the first telescopes. They were discovered by Christoph Scheiner and Galileo Galilei.

Galileo, despite the fact that Scheiner discovered the spots earlier, was the first to publish data on his discovery. Based on these spots, he was able to calculate the period of rotation of the star. He discovered that the sun rotates as it would solid, and the speed of rotation of its matter is different depending on the latitudes.

To date, it has been possible to determine that the spots are areas of colder matter that are formed as a result of exposure to high magnetic activity, which interferes with the uniform current of the hot plasma. However, spots are still not fully understood.

For example, astronomers cannot say exactly what causes the brighter fringe that surrounds the dark part of the spot. In length they can be up to two thousand kilometers, in width up to one hundred and fifty. The study of spots is hampered by their relatively small size. However, there is an opinion that the strands are ascending and descending flows of gas formed as a result of the fact that hot matter from the bowels of the Sun rises to the surface, where it cools down and falls back down. Scientists have determined that the downdrafts move at a speed of 3.6 thousand km/h, while the updrafts move at a speed of about 10.8 thousand km/h.

Mystery of dark sunspots solved

Scientists have figured out the nature of the bright strands framing dark spots on the Sun. dark spots on the Sun are areas of colder matter. They appear because the very high magnetic activity of the Sun can interfere with the uniform flow of hot plasma. However, to date, many details of the structure of spots remain unclear.

In particular, scientists do not have an unambiguous explanation of the nature of the brighter strands surrounding the dark part of the spot. The length of such strands can reach two thousand kilometers, and the width - 150 kilometers. Due to the relatively small size of the spot, it is quite difficult to study. Many astronomers believed that the strands are ascending and descending flows of gas - hot matter rises from the bowels of the Sun to the surface, where it spreads, cools down and falls down with great speed.

The authors new job the star was observed using a Swedish solar telescope with a main mirror diameter of one meter. Scientists have discovered dark downward gas flows moving at a speed of about 3.6 thousand kilometers per hour, as well as bright ascending flows, the speed of which was about 10.8 thousand kilometers per hour.

Recently, another team of scientists managed to achieve a very significant result in the study of the Sun - NASA's STEREO-A and STEREO-B devices are located around the star so that now specialists can observe a three-dimensional image of the Sun.

News of science and technology

American amateur astronomer Howard Eskildsen recently took photographs of a dark spot on the Sun and found that the spot appears to cut through a bright bridge of light.

Eskildsen observed solar activity from his home observatory in Ocala, Florida. In photographs of dark spot #1236, he noticed one interesting phenomenon. A bright canyon, also called a light bridge, split this dark spot roughly in half. The researcher estimated that the length of this canyon is about 20 thousand km, which is almost twice the diameter of the Earth.

I applied a purple Ca-K filter that highlights the bright magnetic manifestations around the sunspot group. It was also perfectly visible how the light bridge cut the sunspot into two parts, Eskildsen explains the phenomenon.

The nature of light bridges is not yet fully understood. Their occurrence very often heralds the disintegration of sunspots. Some researchers note that light bridges result from the cross-crossing of magnetic fields. These processes are similar to those that cause bright solar flares.

One can hope that in the near future a bright flash will appear at this place or spot No. 1236 may finally split in half.

Dark sunspots are relatively cold regions of the Sun that occur where strong magnetic fields reach the surface of a star, scientists believe.

NASA captures record-breaking large sunspots

The American space agency has recorded large spots on the surface of the Sun. Photos of sunspots and their description can be viewed on the NASA website.

Observations were carried out on February 19 and 20. The spots discovered by NASA experts were different high speed growth. One of them grew in 48 hours to a size six times the diameter of the Earth.

Sunspots form as a result of increased activity magnetic field. Due to the strengthening of the field, the activity of charged particles is suppressed in these regions, as a result of which the temperature on the surface of the spots turns out to be significantly lower than in other regions. This explains the local darkening observed from Earth.

Sunspots are unstable formations. In the case of interaction with similar structures of a different polarity, they collapse, which leads to the release of plasma flows into the surrounding space.

When such a stream reaches the Earth, most of it is neutralized by the planet's magnetic field, and the rest flows to the poles, where they can be observed in the form of auroras. High power solar flares can disrupt satellites, electrical appliances and power grids on Earth.

Dark spots disappear from the sun

Scientists are worried because there is not a single dark spot visible on the surface of the Sun, which was observed a few days ago. And this despite the fact that the star is in the middle of the 11-year cycle of solar activity.

Usually dark spots appear in those places where there is increased magnetic activity. These could be solar flares or coronal mass ejections that release energy. It is not known what caused such a lull during the period of activation of magnetic activity.

According to some experts, days with no sunspots were to be expected and this is just a temporary intermission. For example, on August 14, 2011, not a single dark spot was noticed on the star, however, in general, the year was accompanied by quite serious solar activity.

All this emphasizes that scientists essentially do not know what is happening on the Sun, they do not know how to predict its activity, says solar physicist Tony Phillips.

The same opinion is shared by Alex Young from the center of Goddard Space Flight. We have been observing the sun in detail for only 50 years. It's not that long, given that it has been orbiting for 4.5 billion years, Yang notes.

Sunspots are the main indicator of solar magnetic activity. In dark regions, the temperature is lower than in the surrounding areas of the photosphere.

Sources: tainy.net, lenta.ru, www.epochtimes.com.ua, respect-youself.livejournal.com, mir24.tv

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In this photo of the Sun, you will see spots. These dark dots on the surface are visible from Earth even without a telescope. Galileo was the first to see them through a telescope, but until recently, astronomers could not explain what causes them.

Why are they dark?

Even though the spots are darker than those surrounding the Sun, they are actually incredibly hot. They can be over 3500 Kelvin and yet not as bright as a surface heated to 5800 Kelvin. Due to the temperature difference, it looks dark compared to the rest of the Sun's surface. It can be so big that the Earth can fit in some of them. The sun is mostly made up of plasma.

The movement of plasma inside the Sun creates a powerful magnetic field similar to the Earth's magnetosphere.

But the Sun's magnetic field is constantly changing. Physicists think that lines of force magnetic fields are twisted and go beyond the Sun. They form at points where the magnetic field permeates the photosphere. Although they look dark, they are actually only a few thousand degrees cooler than the surrounding photosphere.

Sunspots today from SDO satellite online

An x-ray map of our star is presented below, the photo is updated daily. Numbers indicate groups of spots.

Astronomers have tracked the sunspots over a period of more than 100 years and have learned that their number on the surface rises and falls in an 11-year cycle.

emergence

The emergence of a sunspot: magnetic lines penetrate the surface of the Sun

Spots arise as a result of perturbations in individual sections of the Sun's magnetic field. At the beginning of this process, a beam of magnetic lines "breaks" through the photosphere into the corona region and slows down the convection motion of the plasma in the granulation cells, preventing the transfer of energy from the inner regions to the outside in these places. A torch appears first in this place, a little later and to the west - a small point called it's time, several thousand kilometers in size. Within a few hours, the magnitude of the magnetic induction increases (at initial values ​​of 0.1 Tesla), and the size and number of pores increases. They merge with each other and form one or more spots. During the period of the greatest activity of the spots, the magnitude of the magnetic induction can reach 0.4 Tesla.

The lifetime of spots reaches several months, that is, individual spots can be observed during several revolutions of the Sun around itself. It was this fact (the movement of the observed spots along the solar disk) that served as the basis for proving the rotation of the Sun and made it possible to carry out the first measurements of the period of the Sun's revolution around its axis.

Spots usually form in groups, but sometimes there is a single spot that lives only a few days, or two spots, with magnetic lines directed from one to the other.

The first that appeared in such a double group is called the P-spot (eng. preceding), the oldest one is the F-spot (eng. following).

Only half of the spots live more than two days, and only a tenth survive the 11-day threshold.

Sunspot groups always stretch parallel to the solar equator.

Properties

The average temperature of the Sun's surface is about 6000 C (the effective temperature is 5770 K, the radiation temperature is 6050 K). The central, darkest area of ​​the spots has a temperature of only about 4000 C, the outer areas of the spots bordering on the normal surface are from 5000 to 5500 C. Despite the fact that the temperature of the spots is lower, their substance still emits light, albeit to a lesser extent. degree than the rest of the surface. It is because of this temperature difference that when observed, the impression arises that the spots are dark, almost black, although in fact they also glow, but their glow is lost against the background of a brighter solar disk.

Sunspots are areas of the greatest activity on the Sun. If there are many spots, then there is a high probability that the magnetic lines will reconnect - the lines passing inside one group of spots recombine with lines from another group of spots that have opposite polarity. The visible result of this process is a solar flare. A burst of radiation, reaching the Earth, causes strong disturbances in its magnetic field, disrupts the operation of satellites, and even affects objects located on the planet. Due to disturbances in the magnetic field, the likelihood of aurora borealis in low geographical latitudes. The Earth's ionosphere is also subject to fluctuations in solar activity, which manifests itself in a change in the propagation of short radio waves.

In years when there are few sunspots, the size of the Sun decreases by 0.1%. The years between 1645 and 1715 (Maunder Low) are known for global cooling and are called the Little Ice Age.

Classification

Spots are classified depending on the life span, size, location.

Stages of development

The local enhancement of the magnetic field, as mentioned above, slows down the motion of the plasma in convection cells, thereby slowing down the transfer of heat to the surface of the Sun. Cooling the granules affected by this process (by about 1000 C) leads to their darkening and the formation of a single spot. Some of them disappear after a few days. Others develop into bipolar groups of two spots with magnetic lines of opposite polarity. Groups of many spots can form from them, which, in the event of a further increase in the area penumbra unite up to hundreds of spots, reaching sizes of hundreds of thousands of kilometers. After that, there is a slow (over several weeks or months) decrease in the activity of the spots and their size is reduced to small double or single dots.

The largest sunspot groups always have an associated group in the other hemisphere (north or south). Magnetic lines in such cases they leave spots in one hemisphere and enter spots in the other.

cyclicity

Reconstruction of solar activity for 11,000 years

The solar cycle is related to the frequency of sunspots, their activity and lifespan. One cycle covers approximately 11 years. During periods of minimum sunspot activity, there are very few or no sunspots at all, while during periods of maximum there may be several hundred of them. At the end of each cycle, the polarity of the solar magnetic field reverses, so it is more correct to speak of a 22-year solar cycle.

Cycle duration

11 years is an approximate time span. Although it lasts 11.04 years on average, there are cycles ranging from 9 to 14 years in length. Averages also change over the centuries. Yes, in the 20th century average length cycle was 10.2 years. The Maunder Minimum (along with other activity minima) is said to increase the cycle to the order of a hundred years. From analyzes of the Be 10 isotope in Greenland ice, data have been obtained that over the past 10,000 years there have been more than 20 such long minima.

The cycle length is not constant. Swiss astronomer Max Waldmeier argued that the transition from minimum to maximum solar activity occurs faster, the greater the maximum number of sunspots recorded in this cycle.

Beginning and end of cycle

Spatial-temporal distribution of the magnetic field over the surface of the Sun.

In the past, the beginning of the cycle was considered the moment when solar activity was at its minimum point. Thanks to modern methods measurements, it became possible to determine the change in the polarity of the solar magnetic field, so now the moment of change in the polarity of the spots is taken as the beginning of the cycle.

Cycles are identified by serial number, starting with the first one, noted in 1749 by Johann Rudolf Wolf. The current cycle (April 2009) is number 24.

Data on recent solar cycles
cycle number	Start year and month	Year and month of maximum	Maximum number of spots
18	1944-02	1947-05	201
19	1954-04	1957-10	254
20	1964-10	1968-03	125
21	1976-06	1979-01	167
22	1986-09	1989-02	165
23	1996-09	2000-03	139
24	2008-01	2012-12	87.

In the 19th century and until about 1970, there was conjecture that there was a periodicity in the maximum number of sunspots. These 80-year cycles (with the smallest sunspot maxima in 1800-1840 and 1890-1920) are currently associated with convection processes. Other hypotheses speak of the existence of even larger, 400-year cycles.

Literature

• Space physics. Little Encyclopedia, Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1986

The sun
Structure	Core · Radiant transfer zone · convective zone
Atmosphere	Photosphere · Chromosphere · solar corona
Extended structure	Heliosphere (Heliospheric current sheet · shock wave boundary) · heliospheric mantle · heliopause · bow shock wave
pertaining to the sun phenomena	coronal holes · Coronal loops · coronal mass ejections · Solar eclipse · sunspots · solar torch · Granules · Mourton Waves · Prominence · Solar radiation (Solar variations) · Spicules · Supergranulation · sunny wind · solar flare
Related Topics	solar system · solar dynamo
Spectral class :

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See what "Sunspots" are in other dictionaries:

Cm … Synonym dictionary

Like the sun in the sky, on the same sun they dried, spots in the sun, spots in the sun .. Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999. sun, sun, (closest to us) star, parhelion, ... ... Synonym dictionary

This term has other meanings, see Sun (meanings). Sun ... Wikipedia

The fact that there are spots on the Sun, people have known for a very long time. In ancient Russian and Chinese chronicles, as well as in the chronicles of other peoples, there were often references to observations of sunspots. In Russian chronicles it was noted that the spots were visible "Aki nails". The records helped to confirm the pattern established later (in 1841) of a periodic increase in the number of sunspots. In order to notice such an object with a simple eye (subject, of course, to precautionary measures - through thickly smoked glass or illuminated negative film), it is necessary that its size on the Sun be at least 50 - 100 thousand kilometers, which is tens of times greater than the radius of the Earth.

The sun consists of hot gases that are constantly moving and mixing, and therefore there is nothing constant and unchanging on the solar surface. The most stable formations are sunspots. But their appearance changes from day to day, and they, too, now appear, then disappear. When a sunspot appears, it usually has small size, it may disappear, but it may also increase greatly.

Magnetic fields play the main role in most of the phenomena observed on the Sun. The solar magnetic field has a very complex structure and is constantly changing. The combined action of the circulation of solar plasma in the convective zone and the differential rotation of the Sun constantly excites the process of amplification of weak magnetic fields and the emergence of new ones. Apparently, this circumstance is the reason for the appearance of sunspots on the Sun. Spots appear and disappear. Their number and size vary. But, approximately, every 11 years the number of spots becomes the largest. Then the Sun is said to be active. With the same period (~ 11 years) the polarity reversal of the Sun's magnetic field also occurs. It is natural to assume that these phenomena are interconnected.

The development of the active region begins with an increase in the magnetic field in the photosphere, which leads to the appearance of brighter areas - torches (the temperature of the solar photosphere is on average 6000 K, in the region of torches it is about 300 K higher). Further strengthening of the magnetic field leads to the appearance of spots.

At the beginning of the 11-year cycle, spots begin to appear in small numbers at relatively high latitudes (35 - 40 degrees), and then the spot formation zone gradually descends to the equator, to a latitude of plus 10 - minus 10 degrees, but at the very equator of spots, as a rule , can not be.

Galileo Galilei was one of the first to notice that spots are observed not everywhere on the Sun, but mainly at middle latitudes, within the so-called "royal zones".

At first, single spots usually appear, but then whole group, in which two large spots are distinguished - one - on the western, the other - on the eastern edge of the group. At the beginning of our century, it became clear that the polarities of the eastern and western spots are always opposite. They form, as it were, two poles of one magnet, and therefore such a group is called bipolar. A typical sunspot measures several tens of thousands of kilometers.

Galileo, sketching spots, marked a gray border around some of them.

Indeed, the spot consists of a central, darker part - the shadow and a lighter area - the penumbra.

Sunspots are sometimes visible on its disk even to the naked eye. The apparent blackness of these formations is due to the fact that their temperature is about 1500 degrees lower than the temperature of the surrounding photosphere (and, accordingly, the continuous radiation from them is much less). A single developed spot consists of a dark oval - the so-called shadow of the spot, surrounded by a lighter fibrous penumbra. Undeveloped small spots without penumbra are called pores. Spots and pores often form complex groups.

A typical sunspot group initially appears as one or more pores in the region of the undisturbed photosphere. Most of these groups usually disappear after 1-2 days. But some consistently grow and develop, forming quite complex structures. Sunspots can be larger in diameter than the Earth. They often form groups. They form in a few days and usually disappear within a week. Some large spots, though, may persist for up to a month. Large groups of sunspots are more active than small groups or individual sunspots.

The Sun changes the state of the Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere. Magnetic fields and particle streams that come from sunspots reach the Earth and affect primarily the brain, cardiovascular and circulatory system person, on her physical, nervous and psychological state. A high level of solar activity, its rapid changes excite a person, and therefore the collective, class, society, especially when there are common interests and an understandable and perceived idea.

Turning to the Sun with one or the other of its hemisphere, the Earth receives energy. This flow can be represented as a traveling wave: where the light falls - its crest, where it is dark - a failure. In other words, energy comes and goes. Mikhail Lomonosov spoke about this in his famous natural law.

The theory of the wave-like nature of the energy supply to the Earth prompted Alexander Chizhevsky, the founder of heliobiology, to pay attention to the connection between an increase in solar activity and earthly cataclysms. The first observation made by the scientist dates back to June 1915. Auroras shone in the North, observed both in Russia and in North America, and "magnetic storms continuously disrupted the movement of telegrams." Just during this period, the scientist draws attention to the fact that increased solar activity coincides with bloodshed on Earth. Indeed, immediately after the appearance of large spots on the Sun, hostilities intensified on many fronts of the First World War.

Now astronomers say that our star is getting brighter and hotter. This is due to the fact that over the past 90 years, the activity of its magnetic field has more than doubled, and greatest growth happened over the past 30 years. In Chicago, at the annual conference of the American Astronomical Society, there was a warning from scientists about the troubles that threaten humanity. Just as computers around the planet adjust to operating conditions in the year 2000, our star will enter the most turbulent phase of its 11-year cyclical cycle. Now scientists will be able to accurately predict solar flares, which will make it possible to prepare in advance for possible failures in operation of radio and electrical networks. Now most solar observatories have confirmed the "storm warning" on next year, because the peak of solar activity is observed every 11 years, and the previous storm was observed in 1989.

This can lead to the fact that power lines on Earth will fail, the orbits of satellites will change, which ensure the operation of communication systems, "direct" aircraft and ocean liners. A solar "riot" is usually characterized by powerful flares and the appearance of many of those same spots.

Alexander Chizhevsky back in the 20s. discovered that solar activity affects extreme earthly events - epidemics, wars, revolutions ... The Earth not only revolves around the Sun - all life on our planet pulsates in the rhythms of solar activity, - he established.

The French historian and sociologist Hippolyte Tarde called poetry a premonition of truth. In 1919, Chizhevsky wrote a poem in which he foresaw his fate. It was dedicated to Galileo Galilei:

And rise again and again

sun spots,

And sober minds darkened,

And the throne fell, and were inevitable

Hungry pestilence and the horrors of the plague

And life's face turned into a grimace:

The compass rushed about, the people rioted,

And over the Earth and over the human mass

The Sun was making its lawful move.

O you who saw sunspots

With splendid audacity,

You did not know how they would be clear to me

And your sorrows are near, Galileo!

In 1915-1916, following what was happening on the Russian-German front, Alexander Chizhevsky made a discovery that struck his contemporaries. The increase in solar activity recorded through the telescope coincided in time with the intensification of hostilities. Interested, he conducted a statistical study among relatives and friends on the subject of a possible connection between neuropsychic and physiological reactions with the appearance of flares and sunspots. Mathematically processing the received tablets, he came to a stunning conclusion: the Sun influences our entire life much more subtle and deeper than it seemed before. In the bloody and muddy muddle of the end of the century, we see a clear confirmation of his ideas. And in the special services different countries now entire departments are engaged in the analysis of solar activity... In the main, the synchronism of solar activity maxima with periods of revolutions and wars was proved, periods of increased activity of sunspots often coincided with all sorts of social turmoil.

Recently, several space satellites have recorded the ejection of solar prominences, characterized by an unusual high level x-ray radiation. Such phenomena pose a serious threat to the Earth and its inhabitants. A flash of this magnitude has the potential to destabilize power grids. Fortunately, the flow of energy did not affect the Earth and no expected troubles happened. But the event itself is a herald of the so-called "solar maximum", accompanied by an ejection of much more energy that can disable communication communications and power lines, transformers, astronauts and space satellites outside the Earth's magnetic field and not protected by the planet's atmosphere. There are more NASA satellites in orbit today than ever before. There is also a threat to aircraft, expressed in the possibility of interrupting radio communications, jamming radio signals.

Solar maxima are difficult to predict, it is only known that they repeat approximately every 11 years. The next one should happen in the middle of the year 2000, and its duration will be from one to two years. So says David Hathaway, a heliophysicist at Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA.

Prominences during solar maximum can occur daily, but it is not known exactly what force they will have and whether they will affect our planet. For the past few months, bursts of solar activity and the resulting energy flows towards Earth have been too weak to cause any damage. In addition to X-rays, this phenomenon carries other dangers: the Sun is ejecting a billion tons of ionized hydrogen, a wave of which travels at a speed of a million miles per hour and can reach the Earth in a few days. An even bigger problem is the energy waves of protons and alpha particles. They move at much faster speeds and leave no time to take countermeasures, unlike waves of ionized hydrogen, which can get satellites and planes out of the way.

In some of the most extreme cases, all three waves can reach the Earth suddenly and almost simultaneously. There is no protection, scientists are not yet able to accurately predict such a release, and even more so its consequences.

As, for example, in the middle of the last millennium. Every inhabitant of our planet is aware that on the main source of heat and light there are small darkenings that are difficult to see without special devices. But not everyone knows the fact that it is they that lead to which can greatly affect the Earth's magnetic field.

Definition

talking plain language Sunspots are dark patches that form on the surface of the Sun. It is a mistake to believe that they do not emit bright light, but compared to the rest of the photosphere, they are indeed much darker. Their main characteristic is low temperature. Thus, sunspots on the Sun are cooler by about 1500 Kelvin than other areas surrounding them. In fact, they are the very areas through which magnetic fields come to the surface. Thanks to this phenomenon, we can talk about such a process as magnetic activity. Accordingly, if there are few spots, then this is called a quiet period, and when there are a lot of them, then such a period will be called active. During the latter, the Sun's glow is slightly brighter due to the torches and flocculi located around the dark areas.

Study of

The observation of sunspots has been going on for a long time, its roots go back to the era BC. So, Theophrastus Aquinas back in the 4th century BC. e. mentioned their existence in his works. The first sketch of darkening on the surface main star was discovered in 1128, it belongs to John Worcester. In addition, in the ancient Russian works of the XIV century, black solar blotches are mentioned. Science quickly began to study them in the 1600s. Most scientists of that period adhered to the version that sunspots are planets moving around the axis of the Sun. But after the invention of the telescope by Galileo, this myth was dispelled. He was the first to discover that spots are integral to the solar structure itself. This event gave rise to a powerful wave of research and observations that have not stopped ever since. Modern study is amazing in its scope. For 400 years, progress in this area has become tangible, and now the Belgian Royal Observatory is counting the number of sunspots, but the disclosure of all facets of this cosmic phenomenon is still ongoing.

Appearance

Even at school, children are told about the existence of a magnetic field, but usually only the poloidal component is mentioned. But the theory of sunspots also involves the study of a toroidal element, of course, we are already talking about the magnetic field of the Sun. Near the Earth, it cannot be calculated, since it does not appear on the surface. Another situation is with the heavenly body. Under certain conditions, the magnetic tube floats out through the photosphere. As you guessed, this ejection causes sunspots to form on the surface. Most often this happens en masse, which is why group clusters of spots are most common.

Properties

On average, it reaches 6000 K, while for spots it is about 4000 K. However, this does not prevent them from still producing a powerful amount of light. Sunspots and active regions, that is, sunspot groups, have different dates existence. The first live from a couple of days to several weeks. But the latter are much more tenacious and can remain in the photosphere for months. As for the structure of each individual spot, it seems to be complicated. Its central part is called the shadow, which outwardly looks monophonic. In turn, it is surrounded by penumbra, which is distinguished by its variability. As a result of the contact of a cold plasma and a magnetic one, fluctuations of matter are noticeable on it. The sizes of sunspots, as well as their number in groups, can be very diverse.

Cycles of solar activity

Everyone knows that the level is constantly changing. This provision led to the emergence of the concept of an 11-year cycle. Sunspots, their appearance and number are very closely related to this phenomenon. However, this question remains controversial, since one cycle can vary from 9 to 14 years, and the level of activity changes relentlessly from century to century. Thus, there may be periods of calm, when spots are practically absent for more than one year. But the opposite can also happen, when their numbers are considered abnormal. Previously, the countdown of the beginning of the cycle began from the moment of minimum solar activity. But with the advent of improved technologies, the calculation is carried out from the moment when the polarity of the spots changes. Data on past solar activities are available for study, but they can hardly be the most faithful assistant in predicting the future, because the nature of the Sun is very unpredictable.

Impact on the planet

It's no secret that the Sun interacts closely with our daily lives. The Earth is constantly exposed to attacks of various irritants from the outside. From their destructive effects, the planet is protected by the magnetosphere and atmosphere. But, unfortunately, they are not able to resist him completely. Thus, satellites can be disabled, radio communications are disrupted, and astronauts are exposed to increased danger. In addition, radiation affects climate change and even human appearance. There is such a phenomenon as sun spots on the body that appear under the influence of ultraviolet radiation.

This issue has not yet been adequately studied, as well as the effect of sunspots on everyday life of people. Another phenomenon that depends on magnetic disturbances can be called Magnetic storms have become one of the most famous consequences of solar activity. They represent another external field around the Earth, which is parallel to the constant. Modern scientists even link increased mortality, as well as exacerbation of diseases of cardio-vascular system with the advent of this very magnetic field. And among the people it even gradually began to turn into superstition.