Sunspots for Kids | What is a Sunspot? - Sun Facts for Kids - Ulster Scots for Kids | Ulster Scots

I didn't see you there. Let me introduce myself. I am Bartholomew the bookworm. You're probably wondering what a worm is doing on the moon in the Monderg crater. Well, I have come up here to look at the sunspots 100 years after Annie Monderg first discovered Let me introduce you to the Ulster Scots astronomer and mathematician who discovered sunspots and who the Monderg crater was co-named after. Let's go back to the year 1868. Religion was very important in the Russell household. Annie's father was the minister of the Second Presbyterian Church, Strabane. Her mother's father had also previously been the minister of the same church. The Presbyterian Church was established in Ulster by Scottish settlers in the early 1600s. It was at this time Annie's family, the Dills, came into County Donegal from Scotland. Not only was Annie's family religious, Annie's half-brother was also an astronomer. Annie and her siblings were all highly educated. During the late 1880s, it was very uncommon for girls to be highly educated on subjects other than household studies and secretarial work, but the Russell girls were the exception to this rule. In 1886, Annie won a prize to allow her to sit at the Girton College Open Entrance Scholarship Examination. Her outstanding results won her a three-year scholarship to study at Girton College, Cambridge. Annie went on to graduate in 1889 and she ranked senior uptime and top mathematician at Girton in her year. Annie was the first woman from Ireland to receive this rank. Annie was clearly a brainy box. Although Annie did incredibly well and passed all her university exams, the restrictions during the time did not allow her to receive the bachelor degree she should have earned. After college, Annie spent the year as mathematics mistress at the Ladies High School, Jersey. However, Annie disliked this job and was always looking for more. Her good friend, astronomer Alice Everett, told her of a vacancy at the Greenwich Royal Observatory in 1891 and shortly after, Annie secured a position as a lady computer. As part of her job, Annie worked in the solar department and her responsibilities involved taking and developing photos of the sun and examining it in great detail. In 1892, Annie was put forward to obtain a fellowship of the Royal Astronomical Society. Unfortunately, Annie didn't receive enough votes and was rejected, the reason being her gender. Unlike the Royal Astronomical Society, the British Astronomical Association welcomed women. Now you know where Annie grew up, how intelligent she was, and how resilient she was. But that's not all, as we are getting a bit closer to Annie's famous discovery. Meet Edward Walter Monder. From the surname, you can probably guess that Edward played a big role in Annie's life. During Annie's time at Greenwich Observatory, Edward was head of the photographic and spectroscopic department, meaning he was also her boss. Four years after first working together, Annie and Edward married in 1895. Aww, how cute! During this time, civil service laws meant that married women could not work in the public service. This meant that Annie had to step down from the job she loved at the observatory. This law did not stop her from pursuing her interest in astronomy. Edward and Annie worked together and went on a total of five expeditions. From 1896 up to 1905, they travelled to Finland, India, Algeria, Mauritius, and Canada to view solar eclipses. Annie took solar photographs on each clear day, just to make note of where the sunspots were. She even designed her own camera to take breathtaking pictures of the sun, including the first photograph ever of streamers from the sun's outer layer. How cool is that? During this time, women published their works under a false name. A pseudonym or else were put down as co-authors with their husbands. This meant that Annie's photographs were not published as her own. So, how did Annie Monder discover sunspots and what are they? Let's check out the science! Sunspots are dark, cool patches that appear on the surface of the sun. They're caused by intense magnetic activity in the sun's atmosphere. Sunspots are usually found in pairs, with one sunspot in the northern hemisphere of the sun and one in the southern hemisphere. Sunspots can be very large, sometimes as big as the earth! They usually last for a few days or weeks before disappearing. Sunspots can affect the earth in a few ways. First, they can cause auroras, which are beautiful lights that appear in the sky at high latitudes. Sunspots can also cause solar storms, which can disrupt radio communications and GPS signals on earth. Overall, sunspots are a natural and fascinating part of the sun's cycle. In 1904, the Monders created a chart which showed the movement of sunspots over the sun's 11-year activity cycle. This chart is known as the butterfly diagram because it resembled flying butterflies. Annie and Edward photographed the sun and mapped the position of sunspots over time. This proved Annie's theory that there was a link between sunspot numbers and the earth's climate. This low solar activity is now known as the Monder Minimum. I think it was clear from a young age that Annie Monder was destined for great things. She eventually got the recognition she deserved in 1916. She finally became a member of the Royal Society 24 years after she was rejected. In 2018, the Greenwich Royal Observatory installed a new telescope called the Annie Monder Astrographic Telescope, or the AMAT, to remember all her great work. Annie's amazing work is still used today by scientists 100 years on. Can you imagine if something you discover today is still being looked at 100 years into the future? Now that you know about Annie's amazing discovery, why not share it with your friends and family to spread her legacy even further? I hope you enjoyed Annie's story. See you next time!