Why is it that the areas that appear brightest in the x-ray pictures correspond to sunspot locations?
Sunspots are areas where the Sun’s magnetic field is very high. We believe they are dark at the photosphere level (what we see in visible light, generally considered to be the Sun’s surface) because they inhibit the convection that transports energy up to the photosphere. X-ray pictures show the Sun’s corona-its hot outer atmosphere. We are still trying to work out the exact details of how this happens. Check out this web site for more on sunspots: (Sunspots and the Solar Cycle) —> Go back to TOP.
