For the
genus of
gossamer-winged butterflies, see Facula (butterfly). A facula (plural: faculae) is literally a "bright spot." It is used in
planetary nomenclature for naming certain surface features of planets and moons, and is also a type of surface phenomenon on the
Sun.Solar faculae are bright spots that form in the canyons between
solar granules, short-lived convection cells several thousand kilometers across that constantly form and dissipate over timescales of several minutes. Faculae are produced by concentrations of magnetic field lines, and are most commonly found in the vicinity of
sunspots; this is why the Sun is actually brighter when sunspots are more numerous.
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