Explore the Sun's photosphere with activity belts, umbra/penumbra spots, and an ~11 yr Schwabe cycle slider. Differential rotation shows equator ~25 d versus poles ~35 d; Maunder Minimum (1645-1715) nearly clears spots.
Published figures: Schwabe cycle ~11 yr, equator rotation ~25 d, poles ~35 d, Maunder Minimum 1645-1715 (NASA solar-physics overviews).
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Scrub the cycle year, play/pause auto-advance, or toggle Maunder Minimum to compare spot counts.
Sunspot Activity 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Sun's photosphere and sunspot cycle as a teaching schematic - not an MHD dynamo model. Latitude belts, umbra/penumbra spots, and differential rotation make the ~11 yr Schwabe cycle tangible on one screen.
The Schwabe cycle lasts about 11 years from minimum to maximum and back. The solar equator turns in about 25 days; higher latitudes and poles take about 35 days (differential rotation). The Maunder Minimum (1645-1715) was a prolonged era of very few sunspots in historical records.
Scrub cycle year 0-11, play or pause auto-advance, or toggle Maunder Minimum to nearly clear spots. The facts panel lists the same figures.
- Photosphere sphere with orange activity latitude belts
- Umbra (dark core) and penumbra (lighter rim) spot groups
- Cycle year slider 0-11 yr with play/pause
- Maunder Minimum toggle (1645-1715) nearly spot-free
- Differential rotation: equator ~25 d, poles ~35 d
- Distinct from sun-structure (interior cutaway) and black-body-radiation (spectrum)
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Students see why spot counts rise and fall; teachers demo Maunder-era quiet Sun; curious readers connect belt latitude to solar activity without opening a textbook figure.
| Figure | Value | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Schwabe cycle | ~11 yr | Sunspot number periodicity |
| Equator rotation | ~25 d | Faster than poles |
| Pole rotation | ~35 d | Differential rotation |
| Maunder Minimum | 1645-1715 | Historical low-activity era |
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; no scene data is sent to a server.
This is an educational photosphere + spot-cycle schematic - not an MHD dynamo model.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read the Sunspot Activity 3D Explorer step-by-step guide. The Space 3D collection also includes Sun Structure 3D and Black Body Radiation 3D.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Sunspot Activity 3D Explorer show?
A teaching schematic of the photosphere with latitude belts, umbra/penumbra spots, an ~11 yr Schwabe cycle slider, differential rotation (~25 d equator, ~35 d poles), and a Maunder Minimum (1645-1715) toggle.
How long is the Schwabe sunspot cycle?
About 11 years from solar minimum through maximum and back. The cycle year slider spans 0-11 yr on one Schwabe period.
What is differential rotation on the Sun?
The equator completes a turn in about 25 days while higher latitudes and poles take about 35 days. Belt markers in the scene rotate at different speeds to show that contrast.
What was the Maunder Minimum?
A prolonged era from about 1645 to 1715 with very few sunspots in historical records. The Maunder toggle nearly clears spots for comparison.
Is this an MHD dynamo model?
No. It is an educational photosphere and spot-belt schematic - not an MHD dynamo solver or a live space-weather forecast.
How is this different from Sun Structure 3D?
Sun Structure 3D teaches interior layers (core, radiative zone, convective zone). This page teaches photosphere spots, the ~11 yr cycle, and differential rotation.