Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Phenomena
Photosphere Sunspots
Chromosphere Prominences
1
Sunspots
Characteristics
Solar Cycle
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Sunspot Maximum
3
.
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Solar Latitude Effect
solar maximum
Cycle #
Magnetogram
+ Red Yellow Green Blue —
5
Magnetic Fields
Trailing spot follows leading spot with +ve in northern hemisphere and negative in
southern hemisphere, then polarities flip every 11yr period.
Leading spot always stays in the northern hemisphere while Trailing spot always stays in
southern hemisphere (only polarity flips after end of each solar cycle).
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Magnetic Influence
7
solar spots:
1]. size of earth
2]. come in groups
3]. lasts for couple of months
4]. 11yr solar spot cycle
5]. 22 yr magnetic cycle
Prominences
Characteristics
Coronal Activity
8
Show Coronal Hole Animations
9
Solar-Terrestrial Interactions
Stream of charged particles, mainly
protons. The solar wind exists
because the gases in the corona are
too hot to be confined by solar
gravity. The speed of the solar wind
near the Earth’s orbit averages about
400 km/s, and its density is usually
two to ten ions per cubic centimeter.
But both are highly variable. The
solar wind’s interaction with the
Earth’s atmosphere creates aurora.
Exceptions!
Maunder Minimum
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