Signs and indications for a decaying sunspot

[MinYoongi]

Hello! 🥰

 

I tried searching it up, but google always only spits out informations about our Suns 11-Year Cycle.

 

So maybe I will find my answer here!

 

How long do Sunspots usually take to decay? What exactly makes them decay? 

I know some big Sunspot Groups stay on the Sun for more than one rotation, but why is that?

[Vancanneyt Sander]

There is no answer, sunspot regions just come and go and one region will last longer than the other. Sunspot regions that are very large have the biggest chance for a long survival. When spots decay there is often faculae around the spot so you’ll see if it’s in a state of decay. 

[MinYoongi]

Yeah, thought so!

 

One thing i noticed that sometimes after an M or X Flare the Region loses complexity, like the fuel is empty 🧐. May be a coincidence tho.

Region that produced yesterdays Flare had minor decay too afterwards, atleast the Deltaspots 

[Vancanneyt Sander]

Solar flares are a strong event on the Sun so after a big blast it's normal for the activity to get lower. After the flare there's a thing of magnetic reconnection so the magnetic loops that come from the spot reconnect again after being blown away due to the flare. Because of such powerful events, a region can start to decrease but some regions continue to produce big flares especially if there is a strong delta structure in the region. With strong delta structures, its magnetic complexity is still there to produce these events. But if the strong delta structure decays the capabilities for solar flares decrease. Just the life of sunspot regions... and no region is equal and there isn't a pattern

[MinYoongi]

1 hour ago, Vancanneyt Sander said:

Solar flares are a strong event on the Sun so after a big blast it's normal for the activity to get lower. After the flare there's a thing of magnetic reconnection so the magnetic loops that come from the spot reconnect again after being blown away due to the flare. Because of such powerful events, a region can start to decrease but some regions continue to produce big flares especially if there is a strong delta structure in the region. With strong delta structures, its magnetic complexity is still there to produce these events. But if the strong delta structure decays the capabilities for solar flares decrease. Just the life of sunspot regions... and no region is equal and there isn't a pattern

It's somewhat refreshing to not have a pattern or mathematically thing behind it. We just have to accept and take it as it is, and i find beauty in that.

I hope we will see this AR next solar Rotation. (Even tho it being angry scares me sometimes :D)