The Sun - May 12, 2013

These images of the Sun were taken around 2 pm EDT on May 12, 2013, at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory at the Museum in Washington, DC. They represent three different views of the Sun.

The purple image at left was taken with a telescope that lets through only this color of light, called calcium-K. With this telescope, we can observe magnetic activity in the Sun's atmosphere. Magnetic storms called sunspots are especially dramatic in this view. Hot clouds of gas around the sunspot, called plages, are also visible.

The white image in the center shows the surface of the Sun. Most of the Sun's light comes from this layer. The light includes all the colors of the rainbow. When combined, the overall color of the Sun is a creamy white. Sunspots can be seen with this view. The sunspot at upper left is larger than the Earth.

The red image at right is taken with a telescope that lets through just this color, called hydrogen-alpha. This view also shows the atmosphere of the Sun. With this telescope, we can observe arches of gas extending off the edge of the Sun. These are called prominences.

Telescope: Lunt 60mm calcium-K and Lunt 100mm hydrogen-alpha

Camera: Lumenera SKYnyx 2-2M