A giant sunspot group takes center stage in these stunning images taken by avid sky photographer John Chumack.
"The massive sunspot AR 1967
is now wider than the planet Jupiter and is very active," Chumack told
Space.com in an email on Feb. 4. "Yesterday no less than seven M-class
solar flares have erupted from this region."
The
sunspot group AR 1967 has continued to unleash several solar flares as
it makes its two-week trek across the face of the sun, as seen from
Earth. During its last rotation in January, the sunspot group was known
as AR 1944 and fired off the first major sun storm of 2014
- an X-class solar flare - in January. X-class flares are the strongest
solar storms the sun experiences, with M-class events registering as
medium-strength solar events.
John Chumack captured
three images of the giant sunspot on Feb. 3 from his backyard in
Dayton, Ohio. Two full-disk images are featured: The first appears in
hydrogen alpha light (Lunt 60mm/50 F Ha Scope, DMK 31AF04 Camera 1/436
second exposure, 720 frames Stacked), followed by an image of sun in
white light from the use of Baader Solar Filter Film (Baader Solar
Filter Film, 6" cave reflector, Canon Rebel Xsi, DSLR, 1/2000 second
exposure, ISO 400). Chumack also sent Space.com a stunning close up shot
of the sunspot group in hydrogen alpha light (Lunt 60mm/50 F Ha Scope,
DMK 21AF04 Camera, 2x barlow 1/60 second exposure, 720 frames Stacked).
Residing
at the heart of the solar system, the sun is among more than 100
billion stars in our host galaxy, the Milky Way. Approximately one
million Earths could fit inside the sun, as it holds 99.8 percent of our
solar system’s mass. Nuclear reactions bring core sun temperatures to
more than 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million degrees Celsius).
The visible part of the sun is about 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C).
Sunspots
are typically cooler regions that reach about 3,800 degrees Kelvin
(6,400 degrees Fahrenheit, or 3,500 degrees Celsius). While this is much
cooler than the rest if the sun, a single sunspot is still 10 times
brighter than the full moon. By keeping track of sunspots, scientists
can measure the solar activity and space weather.
These dark, active areas on the surface of the sun are the result of an
interaction of plasma with the sun's magnetic field—mostly occurring in
two mid-latitude bands on either side of the sun's equator.
The sun is currently in an
active phase of its 11-year solar weather cyle. The current cycle, known
as Solar Cycle 24, was expected to peak in late 2013.
Warning: Never
look directly at the sun through binoculars, telescopes or with your
unaided eye. Severe eye damage, and even blindness, can result.
Astronomers use special filters to safely observe the sun and protective glasses are required for solar eclipse viewing.
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