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sunspots

Cultural  
  1. Dark spots on the surface of the sun caused by magnetic storms.


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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.

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Professor Chapman and her colleagues found that the number of sunspots visible at this stage is closely connected to the highest sunspot count reached during the next solar cycle.

From Science Daily Jul. 21, 2026

The method focuses on the number of sunspots present at a newly identified "switch-off" stage in the solar cycle.

From Science Daily Jul. 21, 2026

A solar cycle is the sun's transition from one solar maximum to the next and is measured through the number of visible sunspots on the surface of the sun, the Met Office said.

From BBC Feb. 1, 2026

During this maximum, the number of sunspots increases which leads to more Coronal Mass Ejections sending charged particles to Earth, creating the aurora.

From BBC Feb. 11, 2025

Light from the Sun reaches us across the intervening empty space, but no matter how carefully we listen, we do not hear the crackle of sunspots or the thunder of the solar flares.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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