What are Sun Spots?
I've known about them since I was a whipper-snapper learning about dinosaurs and whales and watching Apollo flights.
Sun Spots appear as dark blotches on the Sun's surface, in a given pattern, and often lasting for weeks. Great amounts of radiation are released from them until they eventually fade to nothingness and the surface of the Sun returns to it's formally smooth self. But, in all my youth, no one ever seemed to be able to identify what causes them.
I hadn't thought about Sun Spots in years until 1994. That's when I saw some images of the imact craters on Jupiter following it's collision with comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.. I saw various photos and time-elapsed films and thought: "Golly gee whiz, they sure look like Sun Spots."
So, my working hypothesis is that Sun Spots are simply the impact craters left by meteors and comets.
I'm not sure what made me recall this just now, but I'm gonna do a little research about what is known about Sun Spots and see if I'm onto something or not.
I just lo-o-o-o-o-ve solving mysteries!
Posted by Tuning Spork at February 2, 2004 10:54 PM