Orange Sun Simmering

Even a quiet Sun is a busy place. The above image , taken in a single color of light called Hydrogen Alpha , records a great amount of detail of the simmering surface of our parent star . The gradual darkening towards the Sun's edge, called limb darkening , is caused by increased absorption of relatively cool solar gas. Further over the edge, a giant prominence is visible, while a different prominence can be seen in silhouette as the dark streak near the image center. Two active areas of the Sun are marked by bright plages . The above amateur photograph of the Sun was taken just last month through a small telescope and a standard digital camera. In contrast, there are times when our Sun appears much more active .