Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos!
Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is
featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2014 May 6
Orange Sun Sparking
Image Credit & Copyright:
Alan Friedman
(Averted Imagination)
Explanation:
Our Sun has become quite a busy place.
Taken only two weeks ago, the
Sun was captured sporting numerous tumultuous regions including active sunspot regions
AR 2036
near the image top and AR 2038 near the center.
Only
four years ago the Sun was emerging from an
unusually quiet
Solar Minimum that had lasted for years.
The
above image was recorded in a
single color of light called
Hydrogen Alpha, inverted, and false colored.
Spicules cover much of the Sun's face like a carpet.
The gradual brightening towards the Sun's edges is caused by
increased absorption of relatively cool solar gas and called
limb darkening.
Just over the Sun's edges, several filamentary
prominences
protrude,
while prominences on the Sun's face are seen as light streaks.
Possibly the most visually interesting of all are the magnetically
tangled active regions containing relatively cool sunspots, seen as
white dots.
Currently at
Solar Maximum -- the most active phase in its 11-year magnetic cycle, the Sun's twisted magnetic field is creating numerous solar
"
sparks" which include
eruptive solar prominences,
coronal mass ejections,
and
flares which emit clouds of particles
that may impact the Earth and cause
auroras.
One flare two years ago
released such a torrent of charged particles
into the Solar System that it might have disrupted satellites and compromised power grids had it
struck planet Earth.
News:
Free APOD Lecture in Paris on June 17
Tomorrow's picture: open space
<
|
Archive
|
Index
|
Search
|
Calendar
|
RSS
|
Education
|
About APOD
|
Discuss
|
>
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(
MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell (
UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman
Specific rights apply.
NASA Web
Privacy Policy and Important Notices
A service of:
ASD at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered