What is the longest period of time a sunspot might last?

Answer 1

Answer"If you are talking about the time from a sun spot minimum, through the next maximum, back to the next minimum, it's 22 years roughly.

Individual sun spots can come and go in a few days or last for weeks".

Not true. The average sunspot cycle is about 10.7 years in length, often rounded up to 11 years. From the minimum to the maximum is an average of about 4.8 years, and from the max down to the next minimum it is about 5.9 years. They typically rise quicker than they fall.

A progression from minimum to maximum to minimum is a single sunspot cycle. Two sunspot cycles might run 19-23 years in length total, not one.

Answer 2

In a sunspot cycle the magnetic poles of the sun flip, thus while this flipping occurs on average every 11 years, it will in fact take 22 years for the Sun's poles to be back to the same position as when you started measuring.

Answer 3

Sunspots are born and fade away normally within a few days. The Sun rotates once every 25 days or so, so a sunspot that is visible now will be around the limb of the Sun and out of sight within a couple of weeks.

At present, the Sun is at the Solar Minimum, and hardly any sunspots are visible. In fact, in 2008 so far there have been more than 200 days with no sunspots at all. The sunspot cycle is approximately 11 years, so over the course of the next six years we ought to see an increasing number of sunspots until the Solar Max, which ought to occur in 2014 or so.

Answer 4

The sunspot cycle is the pattern from the minimum to the next minimum, which is about 11 years. Normally, after reaching a minimum, the number of sunspots begins to rapidly increase, but this period of quiet on the Sun is a little longer than usual. We reached the Solar Minimum about 18 months ago, with no sign at the moment that the solar activity is increasing. For example, since the beginning of this year, 88% of the days have shown ZERO sunspots.

The web site spaceweather.com can show you what the sunspot number is each day.

Answer 5

The sunspot cycle averages about 11 years, but sometimes it varies a couple of years more or less. For example, the last solar minimum was 12 years ago, and there are no signs that the number of sunspots is poised for an increase any time soon.

Answer 6

The sunspot cycle averages about 11 years in length from peak to peak. Oven the course of 11 years, the number of sunspots will peak, then slowly fall off until there are very few or none, and then gradually increase to a maximum again.

Some cycles are longer or shorter, and some peaks and troughs are more extreme. The Sun is currently just beginning to emerge - perhaps! - from an extended period of dormancy. Since the last peak in about 2002, the number of sunspots declined to essentially zero in 2006 and remained at or near zero until late in 2009. From the beginning of 2007 until November 2009, the Sun was entirely spot-less over 70% of the time.

Since the beginning of December 2009, there have generally been at least a couple of spots on the face of the Sun, indicating that the long-delayed Solar Cycle 24 may actually be picking up.

You can see current images of the Sun at the websites spaceweather.com or solarcycle24.com.

Answer 7

Sunspots usually last for an irregular 11 year cycle. They can be shorter or longer, but average is 11 years.

Answer 8

The sunspot cycle is normally about 11 years long.

Answer 9

Each cycle for the sun is about 10-11 years.

Answer 10

Sun spot cycle has a period of 11 years.