What statements accurately describe sunspots? Check all that apply.

Question

Sunspots are storms on the Sun’s surface.
Sunspots are marked by intense magnetic activity.
Sunspots produce solar flares and hot gassy ejections.
Sunspots can affect Earth’s climate.
Sunspots are cool areas where the Sun is covered by clouds.

Answer 1

The statements that accurately describe sunspots are:

1. Sunspots are marked by intense magnetic activity.
2. Sunspots can affect Earth’s climate.

The other statements are not accurate:

• Sunspots are storms on the Sun’s surface. (This is misleading; sunspots are not storms but rather regions of reduced surface temperature caused by magnetic fields.)
• Sunspots produce solar flares and hot gassy ejections. (While sunspots are associated with solar activity, they themselves do not directly produce these phenomena; solar flares and coronal mass ejections are related to the Sun’s magnetic activity and can occur in the vicinity of sunspots.)
• Sunspots are cool areas where the Sun is covered by clouds. (This is incorrect; sunspots are not covered by clouds; they are areas of lower temperature compared to the surrounding areas of the solar surface.)