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SUNSPOT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A cooler darker spot appearing periodically on the sun's photosphere; associated with a strong magnetic field
Synonyms:
macula; sunspot
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("sunspot" is a kind of...):
dapple; fleck; maculation; patch; speckle; spot (a small contrasting part of something)
Context examples:
Unlike the tiny, sunspot blemishes on our middle-aged sun, starspots can be gargantuan in stars as young as those in the Pleiades because stellar youth is associated with greater turbulence and magnetic activity.
(Kepler Watches Stellar Dancers in the Pleiades Cluster, NASA)
In one of the studies, which relies on nearly 140 years of solar observations from the ground and from space, the scientists were able to identify terminator events that clearly mark the end of a sunspot cycle.
('Terminators' on the sun trigger plasma tsunamis, start of new solar cycles, National Science Foundation)
Scientists study such sunspots in order to better understand what causes them to sometimes erupt with solar flares.
(Solar Dynamics Observatory Captures Images of a Mid-Level Solar Flare, NASA)
While busily investigating bedrock types on Mars' Mount Sharp and preparing for a drill test, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has also been looking up frequently to monitor sunspots on the face of the sun that is turned away from Earth.
(Curiosity Mars Rover Tracks Sunspots, NASA)
The new studies, led by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), provide insights into the mysterious timing of sunspot cycles, which are marked by the waxing and waning of sunspot activity on the solar surface.
('Terminators' on the sun trigger plasma tsunamis, start of new solar cycles, National Science Foundation)
This flare came from an area of complex magnetic activity on the sun, known as an active region, and in this case labeled Active Region 2529 – which has sported a large dark spot, called a sunspot, over the past several days.
(Solar Dynamics Observatory Captures Images of a Mid-Level Solar Flare, NASA)
In a pair of new papers, scientists paint a picture of how solar cycles suddenly die, potentially causing tsunamis of plasma to race through the sun's interior and trigger the birth of the next sunspot cycle only a few weeks later.
('Terminators' on the sun trigger plasma tsunamis, start of new solar cycles, National Science Foundation)
