The Sun's Spotty Face
Because it’s too dangerous to look at the sun, we don’t notice that it sometimes has a spotty face. Cooler regions of the sun, called sunspots, are depressions that appear as dark patches on the surface of the sun. Sunspots have a typical life span of a few days. They follow a twenty two year cycle, involving two distinct periods of eleven years.
The first eleven year period begins with a few sunspots clustered high above the sun’s equator. They gradually multiply and float towards the equator, until they reach a maximum. At this point the sun’s atmosphere, called a corona, arcs wildly from its surface in huge plumes of gas called solar flares or prominences. These flares may last for several days. Occasionally, they spew large amounts of material into space. When particles from a solar flare reach earth, they can disrupt radio communication for days.
The second period begins when the magnetic field of the sun reverses itself. Curiously, the more sunspots there are, the brighter the sun is, because they’re accompanied by patches so bright that they more than compensate for the darkness of the sunspots.
People have linked sunspot cycles to everything from the price of wheat to the Dow Jones average, but there’s no scientific evidence that they really affect human activity.
So next time you wonder what influences cycles like flu epidemics, or hem lines, don’t blame the appearance of sunspots!
The sun has been the focal point for civilization throughout the history of humankind. People have realized they are dependent on its light and life-giving properties for their well-being. It is perhaps difficult for us in the 21st century to fully appreciate the awareness that our pre-industrial-era ancestors had - those who were much more in touch with a rural basis for their economy.
But it is not merely the fact that we depend on sunlight for farming, health and warmth. Some cultures have elevated the sun to a religious place. The Inca civilization of South America had its Sun-God and built temples for its worship. The ancient Egyptians believed that their Pharaohs were sons of the Sun: mediators between the spiritual realm and the earthly. Even the philosophically minded Greeks, held the sun in esteem, believing its perfect sphere to be the ultimate universal standard. (They also thought the roundish human head was reflective of this, being, as it is, closest to the sun when we stand upright!)
Even though the sun has occupied a prominent place in various domains of human existence, most of us take it for granted, enjoying it in the summer as we tan, hopeful in it as we plant our gardens, and appreciating it as we watch the evening sunset. Our knowledge of it, however, is limited to its centrality in our planetary system and to rare solar eclipses. There is much more happening out there though than most of us realize. The sun is a dynamic star despite is static appearance. The frailty of our physical eyesight limits our knowledge of our celestial neighbour.
Although the sun has held a central place in human history, it has often been elevated as an object of worship. It is prominent in the sky, provides warmth and light, is distant and unknowable. What bigger object is there to honour and worship?
However, the sun is as much a part of our system as the earth or Pluto or the stars. It has its own composition and purpose, but it is nevertheless part of the created order, not outside of it. To accept the universe in its totality as creation, one must face the necessary questions: This being so, how did it all get here? Who or what process is responsible? Your answer to these questions will frame your thinking on the ponderables of humankind and our role in the grand scheme of things.
Dr. David Humphreys and Debbie Hughes
© August 2004
