What physical characteristics change in the Sun over the 11 year solar cycle to what is this cycle apparently related?

Figure 1 shows his data for the number of sunspot groups observed yearly from 1826 to 1843. Sunspot groups observed each year from 1826 to 1843 by Heinrich Schwabe (1844). These data led Schwabe to his discovery of the sunspot cycle.

What is the 11 year solar cycle?

The Short Answer: The Sun’s magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the solar cycle. Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field completely flips. This means that the Sun’s north and south poles switch places. Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s north and south poles to flip back again.

Is the occurrence of sunspots predictable?

Sunspots exhibit other predictable behavior. If you map the location of the spots on the Sun’s surface over the course of a solar cycle, the pattern they make is shaped like a butterfly. Since regular sunspot observations began, astronomers have documented 24 cycles of sunspot activity.

What is the difference between a simple and complex sunspot?

The different classifications A sunspot group that has a positive and a negative polarity (or bipolar) with a simple division between the polarities. A complex region in which the positive and negative polarities are so irregularly distributed that they can’t be classified as a bipolar Sunspot group.

What is the sunspot cycle Why is it sometimes described as an 11 year cycle and sometimes as a 22 year cycle?

The sun’s 11 year cycle is a symptom of a longer 22 year cycle called the solar cycle, or Hale Cycle, which affects the sun’s magnetic fields. Every 11 years, the sun’s poles flip. North becomes south and south becomes north. So every 22 years, the poles return to the position where they started the cycle.

What causes the 11 year sunspot cycle quizlet?

A model of the sun’s magnetic cycle in which the differential rotation of the sun winds up and tangles the solar magnetic field in a 22-year cycle. This is thought to be responsible for the 11-year sunspot cycle.

What is the sunspot cycle Why is it sometimes described as an 11 year cycle and sometimes as a 22 year cycle are there longer term changes in solar activity?

How does the 11 year solar cycle affect climate?

At the height of this cycle, known as solar maximum, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip. Along the way, changes in the Sun’s magnetism produce a greater number of sunspots, more energy and cause solar eruptions of particles. I’ve heard that the next solar maximum may not even happen and so our climate will get cooler.

Is the solar cycle predictable?

When a cycle has been ongoing for more than three years, the sunspot group emergence can be predicted along with its uncertainty during the rest time of the cycle. The method for this prediction is to start by generating a set of random realizations that obey the statistical relations of the sunspot emergence.

What is the purpose of knowing the sunspot cycle?

Because sunspots are associated with solar activity, space weather forecasters track these features in order to help predict outbursts of “solar storms”. Sunspots form over periods lasting from days to weeks, and can persist for weeks or even months before dissipating.

What is the sunspot cycle and why is it important?

What is it? The sunspot cycle is generally known to be a cycle of approximately 11 years between successive peaks in sunspot activity. What is less known and understood is that with each successive 11-year peak, the magnetic field of the sunspots is reversed.

How does the 11 year solar cycle work?

How the Sun’s 11-Year Solar Cycle Works. As the sun reaches the end of a cycle, new sunspots appear near the equator, and a new cycle begins with the production of sunspots at higher latitudes on the surface of the sun. Since telescopes were invented, a census of sunspots has been relatively constant.

Can the sunspot record predict future solar activity?

MSFC Solar Physics Branch members Wilson, Hathaway, and Reichmann have studied the sunspot record for characteristic behavior that might help in predicting future sunspot activity. Our current predictions of solar activity for the next few years can be found at this link.

How often does the Sun’s magnetic field flip?

Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field completely flips. This means that the Sun’s north and south poles switch places. Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s north and south poles to flip back again. The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, such as sunspots which are caused by the Sun’s magnetic fields.