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Credit & Copyright: Stanislav Korotkiy
(AstroAlert) &
Mikhail Chubarets;
Music: Pas de Deux (Bird Creek)
Explanation:
How do sunspots evolve?
Large dark
sunspots -- and the active regions that contain them
-- may last for weeks, but all during that time they are constantly changing.
Such variations were particularly apparent a few weeks ago as the active region
AR 2339
came around the limb of the Sun and was tracked for the next 12 days by NASA's
Solar Dynamic Observatory.
In the
featured time lapse video,
some sunspots drift apart, while others merge.
All the while, the dark central
umbral regions
shift internally and their surrounding lighter penumbras shimmer and wave.
The surrounding
Sun
appears to flicker as the carpet of yellow
granules come and go on the time scale of hours.
In general, sunspots
are relatively cool regions where the local
magnetic field
pokes through the Sun's surface and inhibits heating.
Over the past week, an even more active region --
AR 2371 -- has been crossing the Sun and releasing powerful flares that have
resulted in
impressive auroras here on Earth.
Music: Pas de Deux (Bird Creek)
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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: Sun - sunspot
Publications with words: Sun - sunspot
See also:
- APOD: 2024 August 18 Á A Solar Prominence Eruption from SDO
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 28 Á Sun Dance
- Prominences and Filaments on the Active Sun
- APOD: 2024 May 28 Á Solar X Flare as Famous Active Region Returns
- APOD: 2024 May 26 Á A Solar Filament Erupts
- APOD: 2024 May 13 Á AR 3664 on a Setting Sun