This video shows the evolution of the sunspot region AR 1429, that generated several major solar storms last year. The video covers nine days, from March 4 to March 12, 2011. Notice how the spot is almost always changing as its magnetic fields realign themselves. The images are white light images called intensity grams.
Credit: NASA/SDO
The intensity grams show primarily sunspots. The sunspots, that last longer than the active regions shown by the magnetograms, can live up to thirty and more days, whilst active regions generally hang around for only five or so days. Often the active regions turn into sunspots, but sometimes they don't.
An active region is a localized, transient volume of the solar atmosphere in which plages, sunspots, faculae, flares, etc. may be observed.
Sources:
- Big Sunspot, Big Effects, Solar Dynamics Observatory
- About the solar images, Stanford University, Solar Center
