Observed starspots have a temperature which is in general 500–2000 kelvins cooler than the stellar photosphere.
This temperature difference could give rise to a brightness variation up to 0.6 magnitudes between the spot and the surrounding surface.
The distribution of starspots across the stellar surface varies analogous to the solar case, but differs for different types of stars, e.g., depending on whether the star is a binary or not.
Some stars may have longer cycles, possibly analogous to the Maunder minimum for the Sun which lasted 70 years, for example some Maunder minimum candidates are 51 Pegasi,[7] HD 4915[8] and HD 166620.
The same phenomena can be seen on the Sun, with periods of 3.8 and 3.65 years for the northern and southern hemispheres.