Monday, April 18, 2011

APOD 4.3

Sunspot Loops in Ultraviolet

In this picture the Sun looks like a violent, chaotic place, but this is actually a quiet day for the Sun!  The photo is shown in ultravioletn light.  Even the cool, dark regions have a temperature of thousands of degrees celsius.  The sunspot group featured in the picture is named AR 9169 and the gas flowing out of and around it has a temperature of over one million degrees celsius!  We still do not know why the temperature of the gas is so high, but it is believed to be related to the rapidly changing magnetic field loops that channel solar plasma.  Continued research and pictures like these will no doubt further pour knowledge of this mysterious phenomenon!

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