science

Space weather: Terrifying picture of Sun reveals giant sunspots ‘stifling flow of energy'


weather effects triggered by the appearance of sunspots are the result of the Sun’s intense magnetic fields twisting into a single point. When sunspots appear, the magnetic fields restrict the flow of energy and cause surface temperatures to drop. These magnetic fields are thousands of times stronger than Earth’s and sunspots can burn at around 6,300F degrees (3,480C), compared to the 10,000F (5,537C) along the Sun’s surface. In this case, the European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC) in Madrid, Spain, snapped very distinct sunspots that appeared on the Sun in 2015. 

Sunspot activity is often associated with space weather events like solar flares, radiation storms and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).  

If the sunspots are feeling particularly active, the US National Weather Service said more solar flares will appear and trigger geomagnetic storms over Earth. 

The European Space Agency (ESA) said: “This image shows a snippet of the Sun up close, revealing a golden surface marked by a number of dark, blotchy sunspots, curbing filaments and lighter patches known as ‘plages’ – brighter regions often found near sunspots. 

“The width of the image would cover roughly a third of the diameter of the solar disc.” 

READ MORE:

According to the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sunspots come in all shapes and sizes. 

The darkest part of the sunspot, seen in the picture below, is known as the umbrae. 

Older, more “mature” sunspots, are much more intense and form a less dark area around the umbrae known as the penumbra. 

Sunspots will often appear individually or in groups and they can outgrow our planet in size. 

The SWPC said: “The largest sunspot groups can cover large swathes of the Sun’s surface and be many times the size of Earth.” 

READ MORE: 

The astronomy centre in Madrid took the above picture using a 3.5-inch (9cm) telescope and a monochromatic camera. 

The observatory shot a 283-second–long video of the Sun and then combined and coloured the best 8,222 frames into the sunspot picture. 

The picture shows a part of the Sun known as chromosphere or “sphere of colour” – one of the three main layers of the Sun. 

The chromosphere sits just above the visible surface of the star, known as the photosphere. 

READ MORE:

ESA said: “Sunspots are not permanent fixtures on the Sun. They exist for days or weeks at a time and come about as intense magnetic fields become twisted and concentrated in a given place, stifling the flow of energy from the Sun’s interior to the surface. 

“This leaves sunspots cooler than their surroundings, causing their darker appearance, while gas continues to flow both beneath and around these areas of magnetic disruption.” 

The number of sunspots on the Sun will vary over an 11-year-long period dubbed the solar cycle. 

During the so-called solar maximum, the number of sunspots on the surface peaks. The opposite is true during the solar minimum. 



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.