Empire of the Sun

They are vast, dark and mysterious. But a new tool may help unlock some of the mysteries of sunspots

Massive dark patches on the Sun's surface, sunspots were famously observed and analyzed by Galileo, but records of these irregularly-shaped formations go back to at least 28 BC, when Chinese astronomers, perhaps aided by airborne dust that blocked the sun's glare, were able to make naked-eye observations.

Sunspots are mysterious. They have had an inexplicable effect on human health -- worldwide pandemics have been synchronized with increased sunspot activity as far back as the first recorded influenza pandemic in 1761.

British astronomers Fred Hoyle and N. Chandra Wickramasinghe of the University of Wales "have long argued that life arose on Earth when viruses drifting through space entered the planet's atmosphere," according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. "They have also argued that many diseases arise from the same source."

"The link to sunspots arises, they speculate, because the increased solar winds during sunspot activity would tend to drive more space-borne viruses into the atmosphere."

Sunspots also create geomagnetic storms which disrupt satellites, power grids and navigational equipment.

Now scientists have a new tool for studying this enigmatic phenomenon -- the first comprehensive computer model of one.

It is "a breakthrough that will help scientists unlock mysteries of the sun and its impacts on Earth," according to the August edition of NSF Current, published by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).

"Understanding complexities in the solar magnetic field is key to 'space weather' forecasting," says Richard Behnke of NSF's Division of Atmospheric Sciences. "If we can model sunspots, we may be able to predict them and be better prepared for the potential serious consequences here on Earth of these violent storms on the sun."

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image credit: Matthias Rempel, NCAR