Quote:
Originally Posted by dav3
The points that made the most sense to me and got me stuck on this topic, are the sunspots and the corona.
If sunspots are pretty much like a void in the surface, why do they appear darker? Shouldn't the closer you get to the nuclear furnaces core be brighter?
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This shows why you should have paid more attention in science class.
"Sunspots appear as dark spots on the surface of the Sun. Temperatures in the dark centers of sunspots drop to about 3700 K (compared to 5700 K for the surrounding photosphere). They typically last for several days, although very large ones may live for several weeks. Sunspots are magnetic regions on the Sun with magnetic field strengths thousands of times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. Sunspots usually come in groups with two sets of spots. One set will have positive or north magnetic field while the other set will have negative or south magnetic field. The field is strongest in the darker parts of the sunspots - the umbra. The field is weaker and more horizontal in the lighter part - the penumbra."