Sunspot 1678 in Hydrogen alpha light, taken on February 19, 2013. Credit and copyright: Paul Andrew.
On February 19 and 20, 2013, scientists watched a giant sunspot form in under 48 hours. It has grown to over six Earth diameters. This image by astrophotographer Paul Andrew shows a detailed, close-up view of this sunspot group, named AR 1678, imaged with a hydrogen alpha filter.
NASA said the spot quickly evolved into what’s called a delta region, which has a magnetic field that harbors energy for strong solar flares. NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of M-flares and a 15% chance of X-flares during the next day.
Below is an image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory of this region on the Sun:
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Read the rest of Astrophoto: Giant Sunspot Group on the Sun (111 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. |
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Post tags: Astrophotos, Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), sun
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