What causes spots on the sun?

From time to time dark spots appear on the surface of the sun. Some are quite small, around 2000 kilometres across, while others can stretch for over 100,000 kilometres over the sun’s surface. They appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding gas – about 1700ºC cooler. Sunspots can last from a day or two to a month longer. And they are probably caused by strong magnetic fields which stop the flow of heat to the sun’s surface for a time. You can’t see them with the naked eye so don’t try looking for them – anyway you should NEVER stare directly at the sun. You might damage your eyes really badly.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *