Sunspot Worksheet.docx

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Name:Rico Graf & Marc DeJesus Sunspot Cycle Worksheet These lab activities have evolved over years of use in Clemson University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy general astronomy laboratory. Contributors include Tom Collins, Mark Leising, Neil Miller, Peter Milne, Grant Williams, Donna Mullenax, Jessica Crist, Keith Davis, Amber Porter, Lea Marcotulli, and David Connick. Please direct all questions, complaints, and corrections to David Connick (dconnic@clemson.edu) who is responsible for all errors and omissions. Sunspot Observations 1) From your own observations within Starry Night what is the rotation period of the sun? From my observations, the rotation period of the sun is 29 days. 2) According to the info panel for the sun in Starry Night what is the rotation period of the sun at the equator? The actual rotation period for the sun is 25d 9hr 7m. 3) Why do the sunspots appear dark? Sunspots appear darker because they are cooler than their surroundings. Return to the instructions before the next set of questions. Answer the following questions after viewing Image 1. 4) How long do the longest lived sunspots live? The longest lived sunspots live for a few days to a few weeks. 5) What is the dark area at the center of the sunspot called? The middle of the sunspot is called the Umbra. 6) What is the lighter area around the edge of the sunspot called? The lighter area of the sunspot is called the penumbra. 7) Where have we heard these terms before? (think back to eclipses) We have used these terms when light is obscured. 8) Are sunspots shadows on the surface of the sun? Explain No, sunspots are not shadows on the sun. They are strong magnetic fields on the surface of the sun. Answer the following questions after viewing Image 2 9) How many individual sunspots are in the image? I see 6 individual sunspots in the image. 10) How many groups of sunspots are in the image? I see 6 groups of sunspots in the image. 11) Using the Wolf numbering method how many sunspots are in the image? Using the Wolf numbering method there are 66 sunspots in the image. Answer the following questions after viewing Image 3
12) How long did the spiral sun spot keep its shape? The spiral kept its shape by having a very strong magnetic field within itself. 13) How large is the spiral sun spot compared to the Earth? The sun spot spanned over 50,000 miles, and to put that into perspective, Earth is just 8,000 miles. Answer the following questions after viewing Image 4 14) How do the locations of the sunspots compare to the locations of highest Ultraviolet light on the surface of the sun? In the images on the left you can see where the sunspots clearly are but on the photos on the right the sun seems “calm” and the sunspots do not stick out as much. 15) What is the difference in time between the two images? The time difference is 9 years. Does this difference in time correspond to the 5.5 year cycle between solar minimum and solar maximum? Explain No it does not. The two pictures were taken 9 years apart. Return to the instruction document before attempting the next section of the worksheet. Plotting Sunspot Data Copy the Sunspot number vs year plot here on the worksheet.
After the plot has been copied fill in the table below. First fill in the dates of each minimum and maximum and then calculate the interval between those dates. To calculate the interval find the difference between successive events. For example for the first interval between minima subtract the year of the first minima from the year of the second minima. Event # Year of minimum Interval between minima Year of maximum Interval between maxima 1 1755 No previous 1761 No previous 2 1766 11 1769 8 3 1775 9 1778 9 4 1784 9 1788 10 5 1798 14 1804 16 6 1811 13 1816 12 7 1823 12 1830 14 8 1833 10 1837 7 9 1843 10 1848 11 10 1856 13 1860 12 16) What is the average time between minima? The average time between minima is 11.222 17) What is the average time between maxima? The average time between maxima is 11 18) How well do your averages match with the 11.1 year cycle that is reported for this cycle? They match pretty well with the averages being 11.222, and 11. Return to the instructions to prepare for the next section Copy the Sunspot latitude vs year plot here in the worksheet.
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19) What trend do you see in the latitude of sunspots as the cycle progresses? (Think about what latitude represents on the surface of the sun) The trend that we see in the latitude of sunspots as the cycle progresses is a downward trend. 20) How does the period of the sunspot latitude cycle compare to the sunspot number cycle? You are able to see both the negative slopes of the sunspots. 21) By comparing the same time period on the sunspot number plot with the sunspot latitude plot is there a connection between sunspot latitude and sunspot number? By looking at the year 1925 on both of the charts you can the decline in both of the latitude and the number of the sunspot. Complete a web search and cite your source as you complete the final questions. 22) What stage of the sunspot cycle are we currently in? We are now in the Solar Cycle 25 ( Weather.Gov) 23) What is a recent event or discovery related to sunspots? On May 29, 2020, a family of sunspots — dark spots that freckle the face of the Sun, representing areas of complex magnetic fields — sported the biggest solar flare since October 2017. (Nasa.Gov)

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