Question

Based on the reading by Maryboy and Begay 2010, which best describes the cycle of sunspot activity?

a. The spots are usually absent, but suddenly appear during the onset of a magnetic storm
b. The number of spots is constant with random bouts of activity
c. There are no spots most of them time, but they reappear for a brief period every 22 years
d. The number of spots increases to a maximum and the declines to a minimum over a time period of 11 years

Answer 1

The cycle of sunspot activity follows an 11-year cycle where the number of spots increases to a maximum and decreases to a minimum, with magnetic polarity reversing every 11 years to complete a 22-year magnetic activity cycle.

Step-by-step explanation:

The cycle of sunspot activity is best described by the pattern in which the number of sunspots increases to a maximum and then declines to a minimum over a period of approximately 11 years. During the periods of sunspot maximum, there may be over 100 visible sunspots at once, although this still accounts for less than half of a percent of the Sun's surface. During periods of sunspot minimum, there may be times when no sunspots are visible at all.

Furthermore, this sunspot cycle correlates with solar magnetic activity, where for 11 years, magnetic polarity is consistent within each hemisphere but opposite between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and then reverses in the subsequent cycle, leading to a full magnetic activity cycle of 22 years.