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How much energy do sunspots produce?
Sunspots are quite large as an average size is about the same size as the Earth. Coronal Mass Ejections (shown left) and solar flares are extremely large explosions on the photosphere. In just a few minutes, the flares heat to several million degrees F. and release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT.
Why do sunspots release so much energy?
The magnetic field lines near sunspots often tangle, cross, and reorganize. This can cause a sudden explosion of energy called a solar flare. Solar flares release a lot of radiation into space. They explode into space at very high speed when the Sun’s magnetic field lines suddenly reorganize.
How much energy can a solar flare produce?
Solar flares occur in a power-law spectrum of magnitudes; an energy release of typically 1020 joules of energy suffices to produce a clearly observable event, while a major event can emit up to 1025 joules.
What happens when a sunspot releases energy?
A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events. They are seen as bright areas on the sun and they can last from minutes to hours.
Can you ever have a solitary sunspot?
Sunspots come and go with an 11-year rhythm called the sunspot cycle. At the cycle’s peak, solar maximum, the sun is continually peppered with spots, some as big as the planet Jupiter. But for every peak there is a valley, and during solar minimum months can go by without a single sunspot.
How big is the average solar flare?
According to Chaisson & McMillan, the size of a typical solar prominence is on the order of 100,000 km or around 10 times the diameter of Earth. Larger ones can reach a half-million kilometers. Prominences can show surges in time scales of hours, but the quiescent ones can persist for days or weeks.