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Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado
Explanation:
Two unusually large
sunspot groups are now
crossing the face of the
Sun.
Each group, roughly the size of
Jupiter, is unusual not only for its size but
because it is appearing over three years after
solar maximum,
the peak of solar surface activity.
Sunspot group 10484 appears near the
image center, while sunspot group 10486 is just coming
over the left limb of the Sun.
The active region associated with Sunspot 484 (the shorter nickname)
has already jettisoned a large
coronal mass ejection (CME) of
particles out into the
Solar System.
When striking Earth, radiation of this sort has the power to interrupt normal
satellite operations while simultaneously providing
beautiful auroras.
Rotating with the Sun,
sunspots 484 and 486 will take about 30 days to make one
complete circle, slowly evolving in size and shape during this time.
After using extreme care
never to look directly at the Sun, the above image
was created by holding a digital camera up to a small telescope.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: sunspot - active Sun
Publications with words: sunspot - active Sun
See also: