It has recently been claimed that analysis of Greenwich sunspot data over 120
years reveals that sunspot activity clusters around two longitudes separated by
180 degrees (``active longitudes'') with clearly defined differential rotation
during activity cycles.In the present work we extend this critical examination
of methodology to the actual Greenwich sunspot data and also consider newly
proposed methods of analysis claiming to confirm the original identification of
active longitudes. Our analysis revealed that values obtained for the
parameters of differential rotation are not stable across different methods of
analysis proposed to track persistent active longitudes. Also, despite a very
thorough search in parameter space, we were unable to reproduce results
claiming to reveal the century-persistent active longitudes. We can therefore
say that strong and well substantiated evidence for an essential and
century-scale persistent nonaxisymmetry in the sunspot distribution does not
exist.Comment: 14 pages, 1 table, 21 figures, accepted in A&
