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What does a sunspot look like?
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:56 am
by keir
Sun spots appear black presumably just because of the intensity contract with its surrounds.
Has anyone imaged a sunspot....is it possible?
Re: What does a sunspot look like?
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:06 am
by Ann
Sunspots aren't black, just cooler than the rest of the Sun's photosphere. Most of the photosphere of the Sun is about 5,800 Kelvin, whereas the sunspots are at least a thousand degrees cooler.
Sunspots are created due to magnetic activity in the Sun, but you will have to ask Chris or neufer (for example) for more details!
Ann
Re: What does a sunspot look like?
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:30 am
by bystander
Re: What does a sunspot look like?
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:18 pm
by neufer
I think keir means: has anybody zeroed in to image the dark central core of a sunspot?
(Sort of a reverse
coronagraph.)
Re: What does a sunspot look like?
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:59 am
by geckzilla
I guess it would be interesting if we could actually see the structure within the sunspot. It isn't very clear from even the most detailed photos what's going on down there.
Sunspots happen to be two of my favorite APODs.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090405.html and
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap101102.html