Meanings
plural Wolf numbers
- A measure of the number of sunspots and groups of sunspots present on the surface of the Sun.
Synonyms: sunspot number, Zürich number
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA measure of the number of sunspots and groups of sunspots present on the surface of the Sun.
Origin
The idea of compiling the information about the sunspot number from various observers originated with Rudolf Wolf in 1848 in Zürich, Switzerland.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Wolf number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wolf%20number
“Wolf number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wolf%20number. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Wolf number,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Wolf%20number.
Source: Wolf number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.