RP211 Darkness on the Sun

 RP211 Darkness on the Sun

The sun isn't a uniform ball of fire. Instead, it bursts with flares and spots, and it has other phenomena, none of which are completely understood.

Sunspots are dark spots that appear on the surface of the sun. They can be specks or areas tens or hundreds of thousands of miles wide. They' re dark because they' re cooler than the surrounding areas. If these spots were seen anywhere other than on the sun, they would be very bright. Sunspots occur in pairs or groups, and can last from hours to several weeks, moving around the sun's surface.

Sunspots are caused when the sun's surface is disrupted. The surface, which contains all the sun's heated energy, breaks. Electrified material then leaks from the crack like a whirlwind, which appears as a spot. These spots release electricity into the air. This adds to the solar wind—a flow of charged particles that comes out of the sun's atmosphere because it contains so much energy. This flow of charged particles can reach the earth's atmosphere.

Solar wind affects power on Earth. It can interfere with satellite transmissions, radio waves, and GPS data. It can knock out power grids. It can also cause beautiful events like the northern lights, which occur when solar wind interacts with gases in our atmosphere.

A recent study confirms that sunspots also affect Earth's weather. Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research confirmed the theory that sunspots lead to heavier rains on parts of the earth. Energy from sunspots heats parts of the atmosphere, affecting high-altitude winds. This leads to a chain reaction that increases rain in the tropics. Meanwhile, the energy also warms the surface of the Pacific Ocean, starting another chain reaction that leads to more rain elsewhere.

Other theories say that more sunspots would lead to less energy and heat on Earth, causing a "mini ice age." True or not, the earth is strongly connected to its sun, spots and all.