• Two side-by-side disc views of the Sun. The first disc reveals the Sun's surface, lighlighting a couple of sunspots, indicated by black spots, on the right side of the disc. The second disc reveals lighter-colored areas around the sunspots called phages, and dark lines called filaments are visible across the top half of the disc.
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    These images of the Sun were taken at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory at 11:53 am EDT on September 4, 2013.

    The image on the left shows the surface of the Sun in white light.  The image on the right shows the atmosphere of the Sun in a specific color of light called hydrogen-alpha.

    Activity on the Sun was quiet on this day, and became even more quiet on following days.

    Still, several features are visible, including small dark sunspots in the white-light view, and arches of gas above the Sun that are visible in the hydrogen-alpha view as snaking dark lines across the Sun or subtle prominences extending off the edge of the Sun. 

    Telescope: Lunt 100mm hydrogen-alpha

    Camera: Lumenera SKYnyx 2-2M

  • Two side-by-side disc views of the Sun. The first disc reveals the Sun's surface, lighlighting a couple of sunspots, indicated by black spots, on the right side of the disc. The second disc reveals lighter-colored areas around the sunspots called phages, and dark lines called filaments are visible across the top half of the disc.

Created:

September 04, 2013

Photographer:

Smithsonian Staff

ID#:

WEB13452-2013

Source:

Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory

Copyright:

Smithsonian Institution

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