  Sunspots have been known in the West since Galileo Galilei and Thomas Harriot
first used telescopes to observe the Sun nearly four centuries ago; they have
been known to the Chinese for more than two thousand years. They appear as
relatively dark patches on the surface of the Sun, and are caused by
concentrations of magnetism which impede the flow of heat from deep inside the
Sun up to its othewise brilliant surface. The spots are not permanent: the
total number of spots on the Sun varies cyclically in time, with a period of
about eleven years, associated with which there appear to be variations in our
climate. When there are many spots, it is more dangerous for spacecraft to
operate. The cause of the spots is not well understood; nor is it known for
sure how they die. Their structure beneath the surface of the Sun is in some
dispute, although much is known about their properties at the surface,
including an outward material flow which was discovered by John Evershed
observing the Sun from Kodaikanal a hundred years ago. I shall give you a
glimpse of how we are striving to deepen our understanding of these fascinating
features, and of some of the phenomena that appear to be associated with them.
