Sun Spots Sunspots are areas of the sun that are cooler than the average temperature of the sun's photosphere, otherwise known as the sun's surface. They occur when the gases in a certain region of the sun become temporarily cooler than the gases around it. Sunspots are produced in only a few days and usually disappear within a couple of weeks. Although sunspots generally appear in groups, they can exist by themselves. Sunspots are frequently seen near the sun's equator.
Sunspots grow larger as time goes on.
They may grow in size and cover areas of the sun that are many times larger than the size of the Earth. A small sunspot can be 1,000 miles wide and a large sunspot can be as substantial as 100,000 miles wide. The number of sunspots increases until it reaches its maximum amount, which occurs every half of a solar cycle or eleven years. Sunspots usually have a dark central region called the umbra. This is the coolest area of the sunspot.