![]() ![]() ![]() Early observations of these sunspots revealed a pronounced cyclical pattern to them, varying on an 11-year cycle, as shown below. Sunspots are dark regions on the surface of the Sun related to intense magnetic activity, and measurements have shown that the greater the number of sunspots, the greater the energy output of the Sun. Inclination of equator (deg) 2.64: 23.44: 0.113: Venus Observational Parameters Discoverer: Unknown Discovery Date: Prehistoric Distance from Earth Minimum (10 6 km) 38.2 Maximum (10 6 km) 261.0 Apparent diameter from Earth Maximum (seconds of arc) 66.1 Minimum (seconds of arc) 9.7 Maximum visual magnitude -4. One of the best known of these changes is the solar cycle, related to sunspots. In reality, this value is not a constant because the Sun is a dynamic star with lots of interesting changes occurring. The highest light intensity on 23.5 degrees south latitude was 125.907 candela. On a yearly average, the equatorial region receives the most insolation, so we expect it to be the warmest, and indeed it is.Įarlier, we mentioned the Solar Constant - a measure of the amount of solar energy reaching Earth. ![]() The varying day length, along with the angle of incidence of the Sun’s rays, combine to control the average daily insolation variation (see figure above). The tilt of the spin axis also means that day length changes, and these changes are most dramatic at the poles, which experience 24 hours of daylight during their summers and no daylight during their winters. When the Suns vertical rays are positioned over the equator (September 21, March 21), all points on Earth receive 12 hours of daylight, 12 hours. Credit: David Bice © Penn State University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 ![]()
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