• Disk view of the Sun with multiple visible sunspot clusters and prominences of plasma rising above the Sun's surface.
    Download Image

    The Sun in hydrogen-alpha light.  Photo taken November 9, 2011 at 3 pm.

    This image of the Sun highlights a number of sunspots and prominences, including a fountain-shaped prominence at upper right.

    The large sunspot cluster just above and to the right of center is A.R. 1339, which is one of the largest sunspot regions since 2005. (A.R. 1302, appearing in September 2011, was of comparable size)  80,000 km long, A.R. 1339 easily spans a larger area than the planet Jupiter, and spawned a number of M-class solar flares.

    Telescope/filter: Lunt 100mm Hydrogen-alpha telescope

    Camera: Lumenera SKYnyx 2-2M 

  • Disk view of the Sun with multiple visible sunspot clusters and prominences of plasma rising above the Sun's surface.

Created:

November 09, 2011

Photographer:

Geneviève de Messières

ID#:

WEB12243-2011

Source:

Smithsonian Public Observatory Project

Copyright:

Smithsonian Institution

Rights Usage:

Contact Smithsonian Institution

Terms of Use:

Smithsonian Terms of Use

For print or commercial use please see permissions information.