The Impact of Sunspot Rotation on Energetic Solar Flares
Andrew Walker (University of Central Lancashire)
Abstract. We present rotation properties of 67 sunspots contained within 26 active regions, giving rise to a total of 42 X-class solar flares, observed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory during its lifetime to date. Twenty-five out of 26 active regions analysed contain at least one sunspot with significant (greater than 30 degrees) rotation, with the majority of active regions having a total sunspot rotation of over 100 degrees, more than enough to generate the energy required for an X-class solar flare event. These results reveal a very strong relationship between high-energy flaring regions and sunspot rotation.
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