by APOD Robot » Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:05 am
Half Sun with Prominence
Explanation: What's happening to the Sun? Clearly, the Sun's lower half is hidden behind a thick cloud. Averaging over the entire Earth, clouds block the Sun
about 2/3rds of the time, although much less over many land locations. On the Sun's upper right is a
prominence of magnetically levitating hot gas. The
prominence might seem small but it could easily
envelop our
Earth and persist for over a month. The featured image is a combination of two exposures, one optimizing the cloud and prominence, and the other optimizing
the Sun's texture. Both were taken about an hour apart with the same camera and from the same location in
Lynnwood,
Washington,
USA. The
shaggy texture derives from the Sun's
chromosphere, an atmospheric layer that stands out in the specifically
exposed color. The uniformity of the texture shows the surface to be
relatively calm, indicative of a Sun just past the solar minimum in its
11-year cycle. In the
years ahead, the Sun will progress toward a
more active epoch where
sunspots, prominences, and ultimately
auroras on Earth will be more common: solar maximum.
[url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201102.html] [img]https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_201102.jpg[/img] [size=150]Half Sun with Prominence[/size][/url]
[b] Explanation: [/b] What's happening to the Sun? Clearly, the Sun's lower half is hidden behind a thick cloud. Averaging over the entire Earth, clouds block the Sun [url=https://phys.org/news/2015-05-image-globalcloud-fractionmap-earth.html]about 2/3rds of the time[/url], although much less over many land locations. On the Sun's upper right is a [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190526.html]prominence[/url] of magnetically levitating hot gas. The [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_prominence]prominence[/url] might seem small but it could easily [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_prominence#/media/File:Sun_earth_jupiter_whole_600.jpg]envelop[/url] our [url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/]Earth[/url] and persist for over a month. The featured image is a combination of two exposures, one optimizing the cloud and prominence, and the other optimizing [url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/]the Sun[/url]'s texture. Both were taken about an hour apart with the same camera and from the same location in [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynnwood,_Washington]Lynnwood[/url], [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_(state)]Washington[/url], [url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html]USA[/url]. The [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160919.html]shaggy texture[/url] derives from the Sun's [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosphere]chromosphere[/url], an atmospheric layer that stands out in the specifically [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-alpha]exposed color[/url]. The uniformity of the texture shows the surface to be [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190715.html]relatively calm[/url], indicative of a Sun just past the solar minimum in its [url=https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/solar-cycles/en/]11-year cycle[/url]. In the [url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/what-will-solar-cycle-25-look-like-sun-prediction-model]years ahead, the Sun[/url] will progress toward a [url=https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/funny-dog-and-cat-playing-with-toilet-paper-picture-id519684264?k=6&m=519684264&s=170667a&w=0&h=o2kTosM-8zdocR3zutnOsoDRQ1fGKLOkqVWHp5rMQIo=]more active[/url] epoch where [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150629.html]sunspots[/url], prominences, and ultimately [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190218.html]auroras[/url] on Earth will be more common: solar maximum.
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