• Disk view of the Sun with one visible sunspot cluster, highlighted in a yellow colour, and small prominences floating off the Sun across the bottom half of the visible Sun.
    Download Image

    This image of the Sun was taken with a hydrogen-alpha telescope on July 19, 2012 at 1 p.m., just before the Public Observatory opened for the afternoon.

    The Sun was relatively quiet that day, though solar maximum (the peak of sunspot activity) is forecasted to be less than a year away.  Just two sunspots were visible.  To lower left, sunspot 1525 is marked by a bright plage (cloud of hot gas) above it.  Sunspot 1523 has almost rotated out of view to lower right.

    Though there are several prominences visible around the edge of the Sun, none are very dramatic.  The bright, low prominence to the right stands about as tall as the Earth.

    Telescope: Lunt 100mm Hydrogen-alpha

    Camera: SkyNYX 2-2M

  • Disk view of the Sun with one visible sunspot cluster, highlighted in a yellow colour, and small prominences floating off the Sun across the bottom half of the visible Sun.

Created:

July 19, 2012

Photographer:

Geneviève de Messières

ID#:

WEB12555-2012

Source:

Smithsonian Public Observatory Project

Owner:

Smithsonian Institution

Rights Usage:

Contact Smithsonian Institution

Terms of Use:

Smithsonian Terms of Use

For print or commercial use please see permissions information.