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Tr a v el S c o pe 5 0
OBSERVING THE SUN
In addition to observing solar eclipses, your scope is capable of seeing other solar phenomena. Here are some
suggestions to get the most out of your solar telescope.
SUNSPOTS
Sunspots are dark spots that appear on the photosphere, or visible "surface" of the Sun. They usually have a dark core,
called the umbra, surrounded by a lighter border, called the penumbra. They form when large disturbances in the Sun's
magnetic fi eld cool portions of the photosphere. Sunspots are relatively cool, being only 6000°F (3300°C) compared
to the normal 10,000°F (5500°C) of the rest of the photosphere. Although these spots appear to be almost black, they
are actually quite bright. If it were possible to remove a sunspot from the Sun and put it in the night sky, it would shine
brighter than the full moon. They only appears to be "dark" when compared to the rest of the photosphere.
Sunspots can be big. Very big. They can range in size from 10 to 100,000 miles (16 to 160,000 km) in diameter. To put
that into perspective, the Earth is only 8,000 miles (12,800 km) in diameter! Compare sunspot sizes to the relative size
of the Earth in the image below in order to better grasp the immense size of the Sun and share that WOW factor with
neighbors, friends, and family.
Sunspots usually appear in pairs but can also appear in very large groups. They can last from a few days to several
weeks and can change their shape, size and number as they slowly rotate across the face of the Sun. It will take about
two weeks for a sunspot group to cross the Sun. Try looking at the Sun every day and draw a picture of what you see.
At the end of the week, compare your drawings and you'll see how sunspots evolve.
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