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. The umbra is surrounded by a slightly lighter area referred to as the penumbra. Small sunspots are known as pores. Some pores have an umbra but no penumbra. The umbra can be from three to ten times darker than the sun's surface.