Starspots are created by local magnetic fields on the surfaces of stars, just as sunspots. Their fields are strong enough to suppress the overturning convective motion and thus block or redirect the flow of energy from the stellar interior outwards to the surface and consequently appear as locally cool and therefore dark regions against an otherwise bright photosphere. This article is an attempt to review our current knowledge of starspots.

Cone search capability for table J/other/A+ARV/17.251/table1 (Late-type stars with Doppler images (as of 2008))