• Disk view of the Sun's atmosphere. A large sunspot (dark spot) cluster is visible on the left side of the disk surrounded by lighter-colored clouds called phages. Other phages are visible across the disk. A large, red-colored gas is floating off the top right of the Sun's visible surface and is called a prominence.
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    This image was taken at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory on July 19, 2013 at 11:01 am.

    One sunspot group can be seen on the disk, surrounded by bright cloud-like features called plages. The largest sunspot in the group is as large as the Earth. The dark lines on the disk and bright features around the edges are magnetic loops that extend into the atmosphere of the Sun. When they appear on the disk, they are referred to as filaments; when they are on the edge, they are called prominences. The largest prominence, seen on the top right, stands several times as tall as the Earth. 

    Telescope: Lunt 100mm hydrogen-alpha telescope

    Camera: Lumenera SKYnyx 2-2M

  • Disk view of the Sun's atmosphere. A large sunspot (dark spot) cluster is visible on the left side of the disk surrounded by lighter-colored clouds called phages. Other phages are visible across the disk. A large, red-colored gas is floating off the top right of the Sun's visible surface and is called a prominence.

Created:

July 19, 2013

Photographer:

Shauna Edson and Kaitlin Evans

ID#:

WEB13128-2013

Source:

Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory

Copyright:

Smithsonian Institution

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