On the Penumbra-to-Umbra Ratio from 1660 to 1676

Sunspot engravings made in the Maunder minimum are used to evaluate the fine structure of sunspots. Based on 78 images of the full solar disk and 77 images of individual sunspots, we have evaluated the ratio of penumbral-to-umbral area (P/U) to be 4.2 $\pm$ 2.5 and 3.8 $\pm$ 2.3, respectively. These results are consistent with previous estimates before, during, and after the Maunder minimum, as well as with the P/U ratio observed in the largest sunspot groups in solar cycle 24. This suggests that the near-surface convection mode has most likely remained unchanged since the early seventeenth century. We also found that schematic sunspot drawings tend to underestimate the P/U ratio.

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ArXiv.org
Published
2025-06-23
Primary Topic
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
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article

On the Penumbra-to-Umbra Ratio from 1660 to 1676

ArXiv.org
Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
article

On the Penumbra-to-Umbra Ratio from 1660 to 1676

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Abstract

Sunspot engravings made in the Maunder minimum are used to evaluate the fine structure of sunspots. Based on 78 images of the full solar disk and 77 images of individual sunspots, we have evaluated the ratio of penumbral-to-umbral area (P/U) to be 4.2 $\pm$ 2.5 and 3.8 $\pm$ 2.3, respectively. These results are consistent with previous estimates before, during, and after the Maunder minimum, as well as with the P/U ratio observed in the largest sunspot groups in solar cycle 24. This suggests that the near-surface convection mode has most likely remained unchanged since the early seventeenth century. We also found that schematic sunspot drawings tend to underestimate the P/U ratio.

ArXiv.org
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Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics
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On the Penumbra-to-Umbra Ratio from 1660 to 1676 · ArXiv.org (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS