sunspot
part of speech
noun (a sunspot, sunspots)
meaning for a pupil
1) A dark, cooler patch that appears for a while on the surface of the Sun. tree →
2) (informal, UK) A sunny place where people go on holiday. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons sunspots show that the Sun is not a smooth, calm ball: its surface changes, and the number of sunspots rises and falls in a cycle of about eleven years. Scientists count them to study the Sun's activity, which can cause bright auroras on Earth. In travel talk «a holiday sunspot» means a warm, sunny resort. Phrases: «sunspot cycle», «solar flares and sunspots».
examples
- Sunspots look dark only because they are cooler than the gas around them. tree →
- You must never look straight at the Sun to find sunspots. tree →
- Astronomers project the Sun's image onto paper to see sunspots safely. tree →
- The number of sunspots goes up and down about every eleven years. tree →
- A big sunspot can be wider than the whole Earth. tree →
- Lots of sunspots can mean more northern lights. tree →
- Spain is a favourite sunspot for families from Ireland in summer. tree →
note
Countable noun: one sunspot, two sunspots. One word, not «sun spot». A sunspot is still extremely hot; it is only cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface. Safety: never look at the Sun directly or through binoculars to see one.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «sunspot» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.