Form of the latitude distribution of sunspot activity

Abstract

The spatial (latitude) distribution of sunspots is studied, including its dependence on solar activity. It is shown that the latitude distributions of sunspots for a given year can be approximately described by the normal law, with its variance being a linear function of the current level of solar activity. Thus, an increase in activity is accompanied by an expansion of the zone of solar activity, in good agreement with earlier results. As the solar activity increases, the width of the zone of sunspot generation and the latitude maximum of the sunspot density grow somewhat more slowly than the number of sunspots, in agreement with observations. The results obtained can be used to reconstruct the spatial distributions of sunspots in the past, interpret the magnetic activity of stars, and address the requirements of the dynamo theory in the form of constraints imposed on models of cyclicity.