Satellite Sunspots and High-energy Flares in Solar Active Regions

Satellite sunspots in ten active regions have been studied in this paper. Generally, satellite sunspots could be classified into three types based on their morphologies, developments and influence on solar flares. The results obtained show that high-energy flares are tightly related to satellite sunspots, and solar flares may be produced in an active regionw ith the emergence and development of satellite sunspots, but no flare erupts if satellite sunspots are motionless.