Busy Sun

Yesterday’s Sun was very active with lots of spots visible on the surface as seen on the photo at top in white light. The middle image shows the intense magnetic fields (bright areas) associated with the spots on the surface. The lower image shows structures that temporarily hover over the solar surface in addition to spots and magnetic fields. More spots are likely to appear over the next year as we approach the maximum of the 11-year sunspot cycle.

All the above photos were taken through telescopes specifically filtered for safe solar viewing. (Do not try this with ordinary telescopes or binoculars!) The upper image was taken through a filter that makes it safe to view the light from the sun before it enters the telescope lens and is about as dark as the filters in hoods used by arc welders. The lower two images were taken with very narrow band filters ($$$$!); the filter for the middle image only allows purple light from calcium through, and the lower image used a filter that only allows the red light from hydrogen to be seen.

NOTE: Never look at the sun with the unprotected eyes or through ordinary telescopes or binoculars. Irreversible blindness can instantly occur from the intense solar rays.

#sun #continuum #calciumk #hydrogenalpha