Sunspots, the solar cycle and space weather

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Sun surface temperatures (NOAA)

   Region	Temperature
   sunspot center	about 7,000 °F (3,900 °C)
   photosphere	about 10,000 °F (5,500 °C)

2. 1.

   NOAA gives sunspot centers about 7,000 °F (3,900 °C) and the photosphere around them about 10,000 °F (5,500 °C). Which is true, by Bo's reading?

   • Sunspots are about 3,000 °F cooler
   • Both are the same temperature
   • Sunspots are about 17,000 °F
   • Sunspots are about 3,000 °F hotter
3. 2.

   What causes sunspots, by Kira's reading (NOAA)?

   • Hot spots where the surface is hottest and glows brightest
   • Intense magnetic fields pushing up from inside
   • Comets hitting the Sun
   • Fires on the Sun's surface
4. 3.

   Sunspot-number graph showing rises and falls over several decades. About how long is one solar cycle, by Jun's reading (NOAA)?

   • About 1 year
   • There is no repeating pattern
   • About 11 years
   • About 11 days

5. Yearly sunspot number (model data shaped like Cycle 24)

   Year	Sunspot number
   2009	3
   2011	80
   2014	115
   2017	22
   2019	4

6. 4.

   When is solar maximum in this cycle, by Luz's reading?

   • 2017
   • 2014, with the most sunspots
   • 2009, at the start
   • 2019, with the fewest

7. Solar Cycle 24 (NOAA)

   Event	Date
   began	December 2008
   peaked	April 2014
   ended	December 2019

8. 5.

   NOAA says Cycle 24 began in December 2008, peaked in April 2014 and ended in December 2019. About how long did it last, by Milo's math?

   • 11 years
   • 5.3 years, start to peak
   • 1 year
   • 19 years
9. 6.

   Side view of the atmosphere with a height scale in kilometers and an aurora drawn high up. About how high above the ground do auroras form, by Pia's reading (NOAA)?

   • About 80 to 500 km up
   • In clouds about 1 to 2 km up
   • Out near the Moon
   • At ground level, on the ice

10. NOAA G scale

    Level	Name
    G1	minor
    G2	moderate
    G3	strong
    G4	severe
    G5	extreme

11. 7.

    Which level on NOAA's geomagnetic storm scale is strongest, by Ren's reading?

    • Each G level is the same strength
    • G1, since it comes first
    • G5, extreme
    • G3, the middle level

12. Use this

    not to scale

13. 8.

    About how long does light from a solar flare take to reach Earth, by Tala's reading?

    • It stops at the Moon
    • About 3 days, like a slow CME arriving later
    • About 8 minutes, at the speed of light
    • About 1 year
14. 9.

    About how long do the fastest Earth-directed CMEs take to arrive, by Zee's reading (NOAA)?

    • About 15 to 18 hours
    • About 11 years
    • About 8 minutes, like flare light
    • About 15 to 18 seconds
15. 10.

    Map of the United States with the G1 aurora line across northern Michigan and Maine. A G1 storm is forecast tonight. Where are auroras likely to be seen, by Esme's reading (NOAA)?

    • Nowhere; auroras need daylight
    • At high latitudes, such as northern Maine
    • As far south as Florida
    • Across the whole country