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| October 13, 2008 | (Use j/k keys to navigate)  Email to a friend  Permalink |
The Sun
The Sun is now in the quietest phase of its 11-year activity cycle, the solar minimum - in fact, it has been unusually quiet this year - with over 200 days so far with no observed sunspots. The solar wind has also dropped to its lowest levels in 50 years. Scientists are unsure of the significance of this unusual calm, but are continually monitoring our closest star with an array of telescopes and satellites. Seen below are some recent images of the Sun in more active times. (21 photos total)
A sweeping prominence, a huge cloud of relatively cool dense plasma is seen suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, promineces can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. Emission in this spectral line shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K (over 100,000 degrees F). Every feature in the image traces magnetic field structure. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures. (Courtesy of SOHO/EIT consortium)
NASA's STEREO satellite captured the first images ever of a collision between a solar "hurricane", called a coronal mass ejection (CME), and a comet on April 4, 2007. The collision caused the complete detachment of the comet's plasma tail. Comets are icy leftovers from the solar system's formation billions of years ago. They usually hang out in the cold, distant regions of the solar system, but occasionally a gravitational tug from a planet, another comet, or even a nearby star sends them into the inner solar system. Once there, the sun's heat and radiation vaporizes gas and dust from the comet, forming its tail. Comets typically have two tails, one made of dust and a fainter one made of electrically conducting gas, called plasma. (NASA/STEREO) #
Image of an active solar region taken on July 24, 2002 near the eastern limb of the Sun. The image highlights the three-dimensional nature of the photosphere when seen at these large angles. The structures in the dark sunspots in the upper central area of the image show distinct elevation above the dark "floor" of the sunspot. The height of the structures has been estimated by Dr. Bruce Lites of the High Altitude Observatory to be between 200 and 450 km. The smallest resolvable features in the image are about 70 km in size. There are also numerous bright "faculae" visible on the edges of granules that face towards the observer. (Prof. Goran Scharmer/Dr. Mats G. Löfdahl/Institute for Solar Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences) #
The total solar eclipse of February 16, 1980 was photographed from Palem, India, by a research team from the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The photograph of the solar corona was taken with a camera system developed by Gordon A. Newkirk, Jr. This specialized instrument photographs the corona in red light, 6400 A -- through a radially graded filter that suppresses the bright inner corona in order to show the much fainter streamers of the outer corona in the same photograph. (Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee / High Altitude Observatory (HAO), University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)) #
Solar flares produce seismic waves in the Sun's interior that closely resemble those created by earthquakes on our planet. On May 27, 1998, researchers observed this flare-generated solar quake that contained about 40,000 times the energy released in the great earthquake that devastated San Francisco in 1906, equivalent to an 11.3 magnitude earthquake, scientists calculated. Over the course of an hour, the solar waves traveled for a distance equal to 10 Earth diameters before fading into the fiery background of the Sun's photosphere. Unlike water ripples that travel outward at a constant velocity, the solar waves accelerated from an initial speed of 22,000 miles per hour to a maximum of 250,000 miles per hour before disappearing. (Courtesy of SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA) #
The image shows the corona for a moderately active Sun, with some (red) hot active regions in both hemispheres, surrounded by the (blue/green) cooler plasma of the quiet-Sun corona. Notice also the north polar-crown filament, the trans-equatorial loops, and the coronal hole in the south-east (lower-right) corner of the image and the smaller one over the north pole. This image shows the solar corona in a false-color, 3-layer composite: the blue, green, and red channels show the 171Å, 195Å, and 284Å wavelengths, respectively (most sensitive to emission from 1, 1.5, and 2 million degree gases). (TRACE Project, Stanford-Lockheed Institute for Space Research, NASA) #
This TRACE 171Å-wavelength image from November 11, 2006 shows a sizeable active region at the east limb of the Sun (rotated clockwise 90 degrees so north is to the right) just as it rotates onto Earth-facing hemisphere. Notice the low-lying dark structures of filaments at the leading edge of the region, some "levitating" dark material on the right-hand side of the region, and the small ephemeral region towards the lower right. (NASA/TRACE) #
The Sun, observed on May 22, 2008. With the Sun persisting in a near-minimal state of activity, only a few small regions of some activity are seen on the disk. The cell-like appearance is formed by the multitude of small clusters of magnetic flux that are collected in the downflow regions of the supergranular network of convective motions. (NASA/TRACE) #
TRACE 171Å image of an erupting solar filament above Active Region 9077 on July 19, 2000. Filaments are concentrated bundles of magnetic field filled with relatively cool gas, suspended in the solar corona. When they become unstable, they can erupt, triggering coronal mass ejections and solar flares. The dark material here is relatively cool, while the bright material is hotter than a million degrees. As this hot material cools, it condenses and drains down the lines of magnetic field in the corona much like beads moving along a wire, a process some scientists refer to as "coronal rain." (Caption courtesy Dan Seaton, Photo courtesy Dick Shine, NASA/TRACE) #
This LASCO C2 image, taken 8 January 2002, shows a widely spreading coronal mass ejection (CME) as it blasts more than a billion tons of matter out into space at millions of kilometers per hour. The C2 image was turned 90 degrees so that the blast seems to be pointing down. An EIT 304 Angstrom image from a different day was enlarged and superimposed on the C2 image so that it filled the occulting disk for effect (Courtesy of SOHO/LASCO consortium) #
NASA's STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft observed this visually stunning prominence eruption on Sept. 29, 2008 in the 304 wavelength of extreme UV light. It rose up and cascaded to the right over several hours, appearing something like a flag unfurling, as it broke apart and headed into space. The material observed is actually ionized Helium at about 60,000 degrees. Prominences are relatively cool clouds of gas suspended above the Sun and controlled by magnetic forces. (NASA/STEREO) #
A transit of the Moon across the face of the Sun on February 25, 2007 - but not seen from Earth. This sight was visible only from the STEREO-B spacecraft in its orbit about the sun, trailing behind the Earth. NASA's STEREO mission consists of two spacecraft launched in October, 2006 to study solar storms. STEREO-B is currently about 1 million miles from the Earth, 4.4 times farther away from the Moon than we are on Earth. As the result, the Moon appears 4.4 times smaller than what we are used to. (NASA/STEREO) #
On September 30, 2001, TRACE observed an M1.0 flare in an active region very near to the solar limb. Fragments of a prominence hovered above the regions, with filamentary dark (relatively cool) material moving along the field lines, which then spread to form this dragon-like bright outline. (NASA/TRACE) #
More links and information
Sunspots Are Fewest Since 1954, but Significance Is Unclear - NYTimes.com, 10/2/2008
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory - Official Site
Institute for Solar Physics - Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Space Weather Bureau - NASA
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this is amazing stuff! to be able to view pictures of what are blessed life giving, and healing star looks like , up close. MAGNIFICENT!
dude that is awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When they start taking reservations at NASA to go and see some of this stuff....... Call me at 555-555-5555.
Make me first on the list.
Thanks
these are totelly cool pictures this will help me on my borning science fair
OMG the sun is so cool!!!!! this pic is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
way cooool pics I Luv them?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is the greatness of GOD
The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where hydrogen is fused into helium
at temperatures of millions of degrees.
THE TEMPERATURE IS OVER A MILLION DEGREES IF THEY ONLY STEP RIGHT INTO THE SUN THEY WILL IMMEDIATELY BURN UP INTO ASHES
omg this is so cool!!!! to anthony : camille y didja splash me??
These pictures are really cool. I can look a million times to it, I still like it really much. Cool.
that is cool....... what part of the sun has U.V rays
these pics of da sun r soooo beautifulll!!!!!!!!! the sun looks alot different up close than i pictured it
These pics are amazing!!!!!! Imagine what heaven will look like since these pics are wonderful!!!!!! God has prepared us a great place in heaven that our eyes can not compare!!!! He is our great creator!!!!!!!!!!!
la elaha ela ala
the pics were simply wicked
Such awesome power....and there are untold trillions of these things in the Universe....but even greater is the darkness that contains them....and still retains a temperature of near absolute zero! The vastness is inconceivable....
these are so kool and they helped me so thanks peoples
they are very beautiful and very awesome. :) i especially like the rotating one
the sun i the most wonderful and useful thind in the universr
the sun i the most wonderful and useful thind in the universr
you've made me interested in the sun. my faverite was #9
sweet
I agree with Michael. It is purely science...god has absolutely nothing to do with it.
ssssoooooooo beutiful from EGYPT
never knew there was such detailed pics of the sun@@!! TYhbnaks
the sun is very hot..... get it
this the creation of the creator and beyond
I LOVE GOD HE 'S AWSOME SO :P TO U !!!
this is so inspiring to me!
The sun is god. or as close to him as we will ever come. all religions seem to stem from sun worship, which is/was the center of most types paganism. theres nothing wrong with it, its natural. but politics & prejudice creeped their way into human spirituality and it became religion, a silly dogmatic thing.
when i look at these images i feel peaceful, in awe of nature and the universe. if only we could see every star the way we see our own.
i do not believe in god in a religious way but i know that there is a connection between everything in the universe, and its love and its sacred. i do not think it is such a scary concept for the universe to be without a keeper, without a maker. it keeps itself, it made & makes itself. that fact that all of this chaos created such intense and incredible beauty is more divine and more mindblowing than some strange entity who is supposedly all loving (but also terribly vengeful and sexist- a truly all loving "god" would never turn its back on its children, a real parent can tell you that) and gives commands to its little organisms with their little egos and fears.
this makes sense, nature makes sense. the universe is divine. and that is that.
dont diss god and the sun is awesome
My 6, 4 & 3 year old loved these pics. I did as well. Superb!
hay my name is tori and i really like these pictures!! i love the sun it id =ijdsfh ijhvjftori aledansere is toidoffufd j kfjfkjdkj atopri apiisd gong
I'd like to see some picture of the mighty GOD...
stop bashing God.
we're talking about the sun.
if you wanna bash God, go to a forum for it,
immaturity...
the pictures of the sun are AMAZING!
i loved them.
If the sun was giant (like the Red giant) that would be soooooooooo cool!
~Brennen C. Rigley =)
this arelavent
THESE PICTURES ARE
F
FR
FRE
FREA
FREAK
FREAKI
FREAKIN
A
AW
AWE
AWES
AWESO
AWESOM
AWESOME
I ESCPECIALLY LOVE THE PICTURES THAT
HAVE FIRE SPINING AND SPLASHING THERE AWESOME !!
I USED THEM ON MY REPORT!!(:
-KAYLEEDAWNN
Magnifique.
GOOD THOUGHT
GREAT PRESENTATION
EXTRAORDINARY
cool
wow. im impressed. realy good pictures.
I NEVER NEW IT WAS SO BIG ITS SO GREAT
these pics are gnarly
it was AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWSOMEEEEEEEEEEEE
Whoa....
THIS IS SO FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!
cool pics
cool pic
all these pics r awesum
God is sooooo amazing!!!!!!! and awesome and holy and perfect and omnipotent and so much more!!!!!
the surface of the sun looks gross!!!
Beautiful... I LOVE IT!!!! This is amazing!!
very nice.
sooooooou ewesome
I love the sun
This is some bad ass pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the pictrues of the sun are so awesome!
those pics are ssssssssssssooooooooooooooo cool
I used them on my powerpoint for science class! uhg school, but these pics sure will make these las days a little more interesting! then its off to senior year!
Fantastic picture which i never seen in the past.
Great!! Thanks to God we all have the opportunity to see this beautiful show...
i want to see the clear and real images of stars life
the sun realy scares me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!omg!!!!!!! aaawwwsssooommmeee ppppiiiccctttuuurrreeesss!!!
Hi, nice posts there :-) express's recompense the intriguing information
kool
The sun looks so HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
God is really amazing.oww!
Please don't put god in it you fricking numbskull. I mean seriously? Why do you attribute anything to a mythical creature.
Thanks for ruining this amazing posting for me and everyone else with a brain.
these pics are amazing and yes...they do show the glory of God. science proves to me that God is really out there..no doubt. it may take faith, but i have no idea how not to believe in him. i feel it is not necessary to make assumptions about my beliefs and accuse me for an idiot. God is great and he has saved me. i pray he may save you someday as well.
its awesome picture.... i am really enjoy with them..
amen
the one was sooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!cool
cool??????jk its awsome
these pictures are sick /off the hook and this helped me on a project
cool
Hi, Congratulations to the site owner for this marvelous work you've done. It has lots of useful and interesting data.
these r awsome
it's very awesome.i cant believe it.god is really great creator.
GOOD WORK.KEEP IT UP.............
wooowwwwww nicce
wicked wicked wicked wicked............................
AMEN!
AMEN!
AMEN!
AMEN!
These pictures are AMAZING! I thank god for making something so beautiful.
Rather the helpful information
hey thanx 4 the pics i need them 4 a project
These photographs definitely reveal that these structures are not caused by burning of gases like hydrogen but, instead, show some resemblance to super-heated condition of lava. The temperature of surface of the sun, which is nearly 5800 K, perfectly matches with that of the lava in a super-heated state when it is nearly in the state of acquiring a gaseous condition. A temperature of the order of 15 million K at the core, where millions of nuclear explosions are constantly taken place for billions of years also do not matches with surface temperature of sun, since this is the only escape surface for the sun's heat. In the International Year of Astronomy , it is necessary to introspectively review our previous interpretations.
rubbish
i did not like these images
wonderful!!
Those Pictures Are Soooooooooo Cool
these pictures are awesome i got an a on them for my science report
yes indeed God is so great! all d honor, glory and d highest praise belongs to Him,.God loves even those hu dont want 2 biliv in Him and dat is d very reason y He gave his Son Jesus Christ to save d sinners..God created everythng through Him and 4 Him. Col. 1:16. Believe in d Lord and u wil b saved u and ur household.
brilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliant
this is cooooooooLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!
ALLAH HU AKBAR(ALLAH MAHA BESAR)
SUBBHANALLAH
MASYAALLAH
YA JABBAR
YA QAHHAR
YA MUNTAQIM
GREAT PHOTOS !
See the spirits God cast in to the sun (lake of fire).
Like Anubis the Egyptian Man Dog; or many faces, many types of creatures nearly in every photo. Its like throwing something into a big fire,and when it is totally consumed with fire all you can see is the shape made of fire.
The light of the sun is his conscience !
So can any one tell me why we can't see any light shining from the inside of the sun spots? It seems we should be able to see the other side threw the sun spots if it were not solid.
GOD is creative HE know what to do with the sun planets even we human HE know what to do.
GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME^^
(\_/)
(^_^)
(___)
UU
God made a really good structure that produces sunlight for people that cannot afford lamps or another source of light and good for heat because some people may not be able to afford heaters, or heat lamps. Kinda liked pictures, didnt prove or show much plus some info might not be correct.
Given enough time - and under the proper circumstances - hydrogen atoms will arrange themselves into human beings
God is wounderful.