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Credit: Ray Gralak
Explanation:
One of the largest
sunspots
in recent years is now crossing our
Sun.
Dominating active region
AR 9169,
the sunspot is the large dark complex
visible below (west) and right of center in the
above photograph of our Sun taken last Thursday.
Although quiet so far, the regions in and around
this large magnetic depression are under watch for
explosive eruptions.
AR 9169 holds the
largest sunspot yet produced during this Solar Maximum,
the time of greatest
sunspot activity during the Sun's
11-year magnetic cycle.
The sunspot in AR 9169 is over twice the diameter of a normal
sunspot,
but only about half the area of
a sunspot once
recorded in 1947.
Rotating with the
Sun, AR 9169 will take about 30 days to make one complete circle, slowly breaking up during
this time.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sun - solar maximum - sunspot
Publications with words: Sun - solar maximum - sunspot
See also: