Blue Sun Bursting

Astronomy Picture of the Day · 2013-05-20 · NASA (public domain)

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Blue Sun Bursting — APOD for 2013-05-20

Our Sun is not a giant blueberry. Our Sun can be made to appear similar to the diminutive fruit , however, by imaging it in a specific color of extreme violet light called CaK that is emitted by the very slight abundance of ionized Calcium in the Sun's atmosphere , and then false color-inverting the image. This solar depiction is actually scientifically illuminating as a level of the Sun's chromosphere appears quite prominent, showing a crackly textured surface, cool sunspot s appearing distinctly bright, and surrounding hot active regions appearing distinctly dark. The Sun is currently near the maximum activity level in its 11 year cycle, and has emitted powerful flares over the past week. During times of high activity, streams of energetic particles from Sun may impact the Earth's magnetosphere and set off spectacular auroras .

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 2013-05-20 — image & explanation courtesy of NASA (public domain), mirrored at Tukuk-OS for reading and search convenience.

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