• Two images of the Sun showing the same space on the Sun, however the top image shows the surface of the Sun and the bottom image shows the atmosphere above the Sun's surface. On both images, a sunspot cluster can be seen as darker spots on the Sun. On the bottom image, however, phages, or clouds, in lighter colors are also visible near the darkest spots of the cluster.
    Download Image

    At the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory in Washington, DC, visitors have been observing fireworks on the Sun over the last several days.

    This close-up view, taken on July 7, 2013 at 11:00 am EDT, shows a large, active sunspot group.  It is named AR1785.  The top panel shows the surface of the Sun, which is the best way to see sunspots in detail.  AR1785 is the complex area to the upper right.  It extends more than 11 times as wide as the Earth.  Other sunspots can be seen to the lower left.

    The lower panel shows the same area, in an exact color of red light that reveals the atmosphere of the Sun.  Bright clouds of gas, called plages, are suspended above the sunspots by intense magnetic activity.  Magnetic arches above the Sun also serve as highways for loops of slightly cooler gas, which appear here as dark lines called filaments.

    This sunspot group has been crackling with solar flares.  When a flare occurs, it can heat up the plages, making them glow brightly for a few minutes.  Visitors to the Observatory have been watching the sunspot group as it slowly moves with the Sun's rotation.  On July 4, visitors observed a solar flare.

    We plan to keep a close eye on this sunspot group as it continues to rotate across the visible side of the Sun for the next several days.

    Telescope: Lunt 100mm hydrogen-alpha with 2x Barlow

    Camera: Lumenera SKYnyx 2-2M

  • Two images of the Sun showing the same space on the Sun, however the top image shows the surface of the Sun and the bottom image shows the atmosphere above the Sun's surface. On both images, a sunspot cluster can be seen as darker spots on the Sun. On the bottom image, however, phages, or clouds, in lighter colors are also visible near the darkest spots of the cluster.

Created:

July 07, 2013

Photographer:

Geneviève de Messières

ID#:

WEB13057-2013

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.