|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | |||
|
top left: Sunrise (Photograph
copyright PhotoEssentials)
left: Some of Galileo's sketches of sunspots from the 17th century. (Large versions are
available from the Galileo Project, Rice University)
| ||
|
Subscribe to the Earth Observatory About the Earth Observatory Contact Us Privacy Policy and Important Notices Responsible NASA Official: Lorraine A. Remer Webmaster: Goran Halusa We're a part of the Science Mission Directorate |
|
|
As early
as the fifth century B.C., the Chinese reported having observed dark spots on the
sun. But it wasn't until 1610 that Galileo Galilei of Italy, Johannes Fabricius
of Holland, Christopher Scheiner of Germany, and Thomas Harriott of England each
independently made the first observations of sunspots (there is some debate over
who really was the first to make the observations). All four men observed the
solar blemishes through telescopes and made sketches of the sunspots changing
shapes and locations. Daily observations were started at the Zurich Observatory
in 1749 and, with the addition of other observatories, continuous observations
were obtained starting in 1849.
