Today in Astronomy 142 - Astro Pas Rochester
Today in Astronomy 142 - Astro Pas Rochester Today in Astronomy 142 - Astro Pas Rochester
11-year sunspot cycle, for the last 400 yearsFigure: Chaisson and McMillan, Astronomy TodayAstronomy 142 22
Sunspot formation and cycle: interaction ofmagnetism and differential rotationThe Sun rotates, but not as a solid body; this differentialrotation wraps and distorts an initially “poloidal” solarmagnetic field.! Occasionally, the field lines burst out of the surface andloop through the lower atmosphere, thereby creating asunspot pair. The underlying pattern of the solar fieldlines explains the observed pattern of sunspot polarities.! If the loop happens to occur on the limb of the Sun and isseen against dark space, a prominence is visible.! The twisting and wrapping of the field lines eventuallyresults in the production of a poloidal field again, but withnorth and south switched. Then the process repeats.! 22 years between identical field configurations, 11 yearsbetween sunspot-number maxima.Astronomy 142 23
- Page 1 and 2: Today in Astronomy 142More on the S
- Page 3 and 4: In detail:absorption linesare also
- Page 5 and 6: Radiation transportkeeping track of
- Page 7 and 8: Mean free pathκopacity units g -1
- Page 9 and 10: Opacity depends onwavelength becaus
- Page 12 and 13: Solar “granulation:” the tops o
- Page 14 and 15: Using Adaptive Optics to look at de
- Page 16 and 17: Further out: the corona and chromos
- Page 18 and 19: Sunspots: solar magnetismFigure: Ch
- Page 20 and 21: Sunspot progress, activity during s
- Page 24 and 25: Sunspot formation and cycle: intera
- Page 26 and 27: Cooling timescaleAstronomy 142 26
- Page 28 and 29: Energy sources for the SunChemical
- Page 30 and 31: Energy sources for the Sun (continu
Sunspot formation and cycle: <strong>in</strong>teraction ofmagnetism and differential rotationThe Sun rotates, but not as a solid body; this differentialrotation wraps and distorts an <strong>in</strong>itially “poloidal” solarmagnetic field.! Occasionally, the field l<strong>in</strong>es burst out of the surface andloop through the lower atmosphere, thereby creat<strong>in</strong>g asunspot pair. The underly<strong>in</strong>g pattern of the solar fieldl<strong>in</strong>es expla<strong>in</strong>s the observed pattern of sunspot polarities.! If the loop happens to occur on the limb of the Sun and isseen aga<strong>in</strong>st dark space, a prom<strong>in</strong>ence is visible.! The twist<strong>in</strong>g and wrapp<strong>in</strong>g of the field l<strong>in</strong>es eventuallyresults <strong>in</strong> the production of a poloidal field aga<strong>in</strong>, but withnorth and south switched. Then the process repeats.! 22 years between identical field configurations, 11 yearsbetween sunspot-number maxima.<strong><strong>Astro</strong>nomy</strong> <strong>142</strong> 23
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