sunspots
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The number of sunspots goes through a maximum and minimum about every eleven years. During periods of maximum sunspots, the elementary particles associated with the spots cause disturbances in the atmosphere of the Earth and interfere with radio and television communication.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Astronomers have tracked sunspots for centuries, but every solar cycle behaves differently.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Sun has an 11-year cycle, ranging from periods with few sunspots and low activity, to times with many sunspots that produce increased activity and energy.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
This means there are lots of sunspots on the surface which are like volcanoes and occasionally erupt.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2025
Right now, the sun is approaching peak levels of activity, and it’ll likely be the mid-2030s before we get another burst of solar flares, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections to rival what’s happening at present.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2024
Galileo also exhibited sunspots during his time in Rome, using the now standard device of projecting the image of the Sun through a telescope on to a white screen.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
