A fungus (/ËfÊÅÉ¡És/; plural: fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from the other eukaryotic life kingdoms of plants and animals. A characteristic that places fungi in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria and some protists, is chitin in their cell walls.
The 11-year cycle of the number of sunspots was first demonstrated by Heinrich Schwabe (1789-1875) in 1843. There have been several periods during which sunspots were rare or absent, most notably the Maunder minimum (1645-1715), and less markedly the Dalton minimum (1795-1820) (Fig 2.8 in the book).
Sunspots appear dark (in visible light) because they are much cooler than the rest of the surface of the Sun. However, even though they appear dark, they are still very hot. Sunspots have temperatures around 6,300 Fahrenheit (~3,500 Celsius) while the surrounding surface of the sun has a temperature of about 10,000 Fahrenheit (5,500 Celsius). If a sunspot was alone in space, it would glow brightly. 1  Javascript must be enabled to use Cool Cosmos. 2  Learn how.