Unformatted text preview: 1/15/12 Astronomy Hypertext: Sunspots and the Sunspot Cycle As tronom H perte t Sunspots and the Sunspot C cle
Lat est Modif icat ion: Jul 24, 2002
Suns pots and Suns pot Groups
Da fea e
he S ha e bee e
ed f a ea 2000 ea . Se e a igh i g e ce
a e c ai ed i a cie Chi e e ec d . A h gh
he fi igh i g ec ded i E
e,
Ga i e ' e e c ic b e a i i 1610
ided he fi de ai
, he
c
ic
fa
be f a ie he
e a be f d i he a a
he e.
A ica sunspot ha a ce a
c e i h a da ce e , he umbra,
ded b a g a i h
fi a e a egi , he penumbra. A h gh
e i adia i , he b a
da beca e
i i ee agai a e e b igh e h
he ic bac g
d, h e e e a e i
e 1800 K
highe . The b a i ab
e- f h a b igh a he h
he e a d he e
b a ab
h eef h a b igh .
S
de e
The g
a id
ie a i i a
b a a ge
a dia e e . S
ab 1 ee . A
50,000
i dia
b id
i
g
de g i a a e fh
a
a
e i he i e g a a egi
f he h
he e.
, a d he ge e a f
i c e , a i g a sunspot group, h e
i ae aa e
he a e a . Each e d f he g
i f e d i a ed
ded b
ae
. The e a ge g
ac e
e- fif h he
ei e a
g
e i f e ea
h , b a ica ife i e i
ica a ge
i ag
i
e 10,000
ac
; e ce i a e a e
e e , ab f
i e he dia e e f he Ea h. I a ee
hi a ge
ai
dia e e ; he i i e
dec i e . I di id a
ia
cha ge f
da
da hi e he ai ai hei a cia i . Suns pot C cle
M e ha a ce
ag i a di c e ed ha
c e a d g i a gh 11 ea c c e.
Aga h f
be e e i e h
a c c e f hi
ea a ia i . S ch a fig e
h
ha he heigh f cce i e a i a a e b i
e a , a d he i e a be ee
cce i e ea
gh i
c
a ; he 11- ea e i d i a e
gh a e age. Each
sunspot c cl e e
ih
f i g a a i de a
d 35 N a d 35 S, a d a he c c e
ge e ,
f
ce
he e a i b h he i he e . The a i
be f
f
he
a e f i g a a i de a
d 25 i b h he i he e . Whe he a
f a c c e a e f i g ea 5 N 5 S, a fe
agai f
a a i de a
d 35 N 35 S
he a d he begi i g f a e c c e.
M agne tic Fie lds in Suns pots physics.gmu.edu/~jevans/astr103/ /sun_atmosphereSunspots.html 1/3 1/15/12 Astronomy Hypertext: Sunspots and the Sunspot Cycle I e e a chi g, c ed fea e a e b e e a
d
g
(Fig e 15.8d). The a e
c e f ga h e ha e i de e i ed b c ed ag e ic fie d i e , i ce
ae
be he ce e f i e e ag e ic fie d . A
e
hi beca e f he Zee a
effec (Sec i 12.5). I a fi ide ified i he ab
i ie f
ec a b Ge ge
E e Ha e (1868- 1938) a he M
Wi
Ob e a
i 1908. I he Zeeman effec , he
e g h f he ag e ic fie d ca be de e i ed f
he e a a i
fc
e
f ab
i
i e , hi e he di ec i
f he fie d i h
b he e e f a i a i
f he e c
e
(Fig e 15.5).
The eadi g
fa
g
(i he f a d di ec i
f he S '
ai )a e
ie i
ai f
he f
ig
.O
i e a i ie a e i e h e f he
ha d
he d fa
ba ag e . The i f ea e f he i e i
e g h f he ag e ic fie d i ca ed a ga .
The ea ed fie d e g h i
e ceed ha f he Ea h' fie d b e e a h a d i e ,
bei g e e a h a d ga . I he S '
he a d
he he i he e , a i ie f eadi g
a df
ig
aea
i e each he . Tha i , he a i f he eadi g
i he
he he i he e a be
h ee i g i
e
c c e, he ea ha f he
he
he i he e i
h ee i g. The i he e
c c e he eadi g
i be
h ee i g i
he
he a d
h ee i g i he
he he i he e. Th
ag e ic fie d a i e e e i
b h he i he e i cceedi g
c ce .
A a h e, he S d e
ha e a ge e a ag e ic fie d i e ha f he Ea h. B b a e agi g
e
a ca i ed a d i e e ag e ic fie d , e ge he i e i
f a ge e a fie d a fe
ie
ge ha he Ea h' fie d,
e e a ga . Mag e ic ea e e ha e bee ade f
he S fai eg a
e he a 25 ea . F
hich i ha bee f d ha ag e ic fie d i
he a egi
e e e a i ea he i e f
a i a. Th
ha a ea
be a
ge e a fie d i
bab he acc
ai
f face fie d ha ha e d if ed i
he a egi .
O igin of S n po
A h gh a
e ha e e a a i f
beha i a d he ag e ic fie d he
ea
ha g i h i , he e e a a i a e
c
e e a i f i g i a e ec . A a a
ii
he e e a a i i he a e
he e i
fh
a e c e ha hei
di g
a dh
he a e ab e
ai ai ha c di i f
g a e i d f i e. Si ce e e g f
f
he
c e egi , a f d f h
f
high- e e a e ga
di g
h df
i
he c e
a d ei i a e e
ic a diffe e ce i e e a e. The
ea
ha hi d e
ha e a ea
be he abi i f ag e ic fie d ha e i i he i e i
f
i hibi he f
f he a e e g i
he
.
The
acce ab e he
f
a e ha he i e ac i
f he S ' diffe e ia a i
a d c ec i e
i i he h d ge c ec i
e be
he h
he e ge e a e a d he
di
a b- h
he ic ag e ic fie d. A he ag e ic fie d i e a e
ed a d e ched
e a a diffe e a i de b he f
f ga
hich he a e a ached ( a i
e chi g i
a he e a , he e a i i
if e ), he fie d i e e e a c i
be be
he
h
he e. If a i de e
, a be f ag e ic fie d i e i b ed
a d,
ha i a che
i
he h
he e, f i g a bi a
g
.
physics.gmu.edu/~jevans/astr103/ /sun_atmosphereSunspots.html 2/3 1/15/12 Astronomy Hypertext: Sunspots and the Sunspot Cycle A a bipola n po g o p b eak p and deca , he field of he follo ing po mig a e o a d
pola egion and e en all ne ali e he e i ing pola field, allo ing a ne one o fo m, i
pola i e e ed f om he p e io c cle. The pe iod of comple e e e al of n po pola i i
h 22 ea . Thi magne ic c cle i mo e eg la han he 11- ea c cle. Tha i , if one n po
c cle e e o be 12 ea in leng h, hen he follo ing c cle o ld be clo e o 10 ea o ha
hei m o ld be he 22 ea of he magne ic c cle.
Cop right 1995 J. C. Ev ans
Ph sics & Ast ronom Depart ment , George Mason Univ ersit
Maint ained b J. C. Ev ans; j ev [email protected] physics.gmu.edu/~jevans/astr103/ /sun_atmosphereSunspots.html 3/3 ...
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