High sunspot activity is celebrated by members of the amateur radio community as a harbinger of excellent ionospheric propagation conditions that greatly increase radio range in the HF bands.

Mar 10, 2025 · This video, captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory between July 5 to 11, 2017, shows a sunspot moving across the Sun. Like freckles on the face of the Sun, sunspots …

On this page you'll find an overview of all the visible sunspot regions on the Sun together with their properties, images and the chances on solar flares or proton events.

Apr 13, 2023 · According to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), if you could cut out a standard sunspot from the sun and place it in the night sky, it would appear as bright as a full...

Sunspots appear in a wide variety of shapes and forms. The darkest area of a sunspot (also the first to be observed) is called the umbrae. As the sunspot matures (becomes more intense), a less dark, …

Dec 3, 2025 · Sunspot, vortex of gas on the surface of the Sun associated with strong local magnetic activity. Spots look dark only by contrast with the surrounding photosphere, which is several …

If you could cut an average sunspot out of the Sun and place it elsewhere in the night sky, it would be about as bright as the full Moon. Sunspots have a lighter, outer section called the penumbra and a …

Oct 4, 2023 · A sunspot then forms where the magnetic field becomes concentrated and tangled in a specific area and breaks through the surface of the Sun. These aren’t minor disturbances, either.

Feb 24, 2025 · A sunspot might only last days on the surface of the Sun, or may be visible for weeks or even months before disappearing. They also appear to move across the face of the Sun, and many …

Sep 25, 2025 · The temperature of a sunspot is still very hot though—around 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit! Why are sunspots relatively cool? It’s because they form at areas where magnetic fields are …