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(Narrator) There must be something in a sunspot that opens up a wealth of knowledge
and even more questions.
Like Galileo before him, German astronomer, Samuel Heinrich Schwabe became fascinated with sunspots.
From careful observation over 17 years, Schwabe found a periodic cycling of the average number of sunspots.
In the mid 1800s he and other astronomers found that the sun has about an 11 year cycle.
Between the times when we can observe the most and the least sunspot.
(Holly Gilbert) Understanding the 11 years solar cycle becomes very crucial
and understanding the effects of space weather here at Earth.
Because it really dictates how often solar storms will occur and how strong they will be.
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