Where do sunspots occur?
Sunspots form where magnetic fields become compressed. This results in the magnetic field line shooting out of the Sun. They occur on the intergranular region of the photosphere, the Sun’s visible surface. Each sunspot cycle opens with spots forming at latitudes around 35 degrees N and 35 degrees S of the Sun’s equator, and as the cycle progresses, spots form closer to the equator in both hemispheres. The maximum number of spots form when sunspots are forming at latitudes around 25 degrees in both hemispheres. When the last spots of a cycle are forming near 5 degrees N or 5 degrees S, a few spots again form at latitudes around 35 degrees N or 35 degrees S heralding the beginning of a new cycle.
