You'll be looking for the characteristic dark spots of sunspot activity in the white light images. Rememember, you are looking to discover what relationship there might be between areas of sunspot activity and areas of x-ray emission activity. By comparing the colored area in each type of picture, and then looking at the graphs of those areas, you might be able to make some guesses about what is going on. We think you'll find that looking for a line or simple curve on a plot is an easier way to see possible relationships than trying to compare the two columns of numbers.
Scientists love graphs, because they are a way to look at complex data in a visual way.
Write down your analysis of the data, and compare your conclusions with others. To launch the Java applet please click the button below. Now that you have explored the patterns in the sun's activity in a past solar maximum, you might be interested to know that another solar maximum is predicted for the year 2000. You may be interested in attempting to view sunspots for yourself. The Exploratorium .