古人认为它们是太阳神脸上生的麻子，抑或太阳内的星辰，现代人猜想它们和UFO以及各种超自然现象密不可分——这种神秘物质就是太阳黑子，它们能量巨大，也会时不时给人类的生活带来麻烦，让我们随本文一起揭开太阳黑子的面纱吧。
TheAztecs[1] thoughtthattheirsungodhadpockmarksonhisface. TheancientChinesereferredtothemasstarsinsidethesolarorb. OneRenaissanceastronomerarguedthattheywereactuallyundiscoveredplanets. Today, somebelievetheirappearanceislinkedtoUFOsightingsandparanormalactivity. Othersofferthemasanalternativeexplanationforhuman-causedclimatechange. Therestofuswonderifthey’rethereasonfordroppedcellphonecallsorstatic-plaguedradiostations.
We’retalkingaboutsunspots, thosepeculiardarkareasthatpopupregularlyonthesurfaceofthesun. Theyusuallyappearinpairsoringroupsoneithersideofthesun’sequator. Sunspotsvarytremendouslyinsize, rangingfromlessthan 200 milesacrosstomanytimesthesizeoftheEarth. Somesmallsunspotsmaylastforlessthananhour, butlargeronescanlastuptosixmonths. Somesunspots—suchasonein 2004 thatmeasured 20 timesthesizeofourplanet—arebigenoughtobeseenbythenakedeye.
AstronomersinancientChinanoticedsunspotsseveralthousandyearsago. TheI-ChingorBookofChanges, whichdatesbacktothe 12thcenturyB.C., mentionsthephenomenon. Thefirstwrittenrecordofasunspotsightingdatesto 28 B.C., whenitwasnotedthat “thesunwasyellowatitsrisingandablackvaporaslargeasacoinwasobservedatitscenter.” Ontheothersideoftheworld, theAztecs, whoruledMexicobeforetheSpanisharrivedinthe 1500s, alsopaidalotofattentiontothesun. Aswediscussed, theircreationmythfeaturedasungodwithapockmarkedface.
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