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What is the relationship between Earth's temperature and the number of sunspots that occur?

An increased number of sunspots causes an increase in Earth's temperature.
A decreased number of sunspots causes an increase in Earth's temperature.
An increased number of sunspots causes Earth's temperature to remain constant.
A decreased number of sunspots causes Earth's temperature to remain constant.

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Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
An increased number of sunspots causes an increase in Earth's temperature.

Explanation: Sunspots occur during periods of higher solar activity. Although individual sunspots are cooler, they are accompanied by bright regions (faculae) that raise the Sun’s total irradiance slightly during solar maxima, producing a small increase in Earth's temperature.