Scientists find that sunspots rise to the surface much more slowly than predicted
http://phys.org/news/2016-07-scientists-sunspots-surface-slowly.html
Solar active regions consist of strongly magnetic sunspots and surrounding regions of more diffuse magnetic field. These regions are the origin of solar activity
which controls space weather and causes beautiful phenomena such as aurora but in some cases also damage to satellites or power grids. Solar active regions are
thought to be the result of magnetic flux concentrations - bundles of magnetic field lines - rising from deep in the solar interior and penetrating the surface.
A team consisting of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), The University of Göttingen, NorthWest Research Associates, and
the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research has now shown that these magnetic flux concentrations move upward through the solar
interior at speeds of not more than about 150 m/s. This is much slower than predicted by the prevailing current model. For their study, which is published today
in the journal Science Advances, they compared satellite observations and computer simulations.
![](http://cdn.phys.org/newman/gfx/news/hires/2016/13-scientistsfi.jpg)