Our Star

[Charles Loy]

I noticed a moon series thread here, so maybe this is the place for my post.
SUN it's still spraying burning gas thousands of miles into space.
10/5 at 5.10 PM. All the spots are flaming hot gasses - it's been very active for several weeks - photo

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[Fred A]

Neat shot.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Charles - I know little about the sun - so here goes:
I like the photo and the colours - so cool and you can see it's "lit" from "inside". It can't be easy to shoot the sun.
You mention "spots are flaming hot gasses - it's been very active for several weeks-" it is a bit like vulcanos? And hot compared to what? The rest of the sun is hot too?

 

[Jmaes]

Charles - I know little about the sun - so here goes:
I like the photo and the colours - so cool and you can see it's "lit" from "inside". It can't be easy to shoot the sun.
You mention "spots are flaming hot gasses - it's been very active for several weeks-" it is a bit like vulcanos? And hot compared to what? The rest of the sun is hot too?

Sunspots are actually areas on the solar "surface" that are cooler than their surroundings (hence why they appear dark to us). Although cooler is of course relative since we're still talking high temperatures here.

Their origin is still not fully understood (as are many things solar). But generally speaking, we think they're caused by changes in strength of the Sun's magnetic field in those places (think of it as "loops" in the magnetic field breaking the surface in those places). This affects convection in the layers below, hence the lower temperature.

Overly simplified version obviously; but hope it helps

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Sunspots are actually areas on the solar "surface" that are cooler than their surroundings (hence why they appear dark to us). Although cooler is of course relative since we're still talking high temperatures here.

Their origin is still not fully understood (as are many things solar). But generally speaking, we think they're caused by changes in strength of the Sun's magnetic field in those places (think of it as "loops" in the magnetic field breaking the surface in those places). This affects convection in the layers below, hence the lower temperature.

Overly simplified version obviously; but hope it helps

Thanks - always interesting to learn more about our photos !

 

[Charles Loy]

Charles - I know little about the sun - so here goes:
I like the photo and the colours - so cool and you can see it's "lit" from "inside". It can't be easy to shoot the sun.
You mention "spots are flaming hot gasses - it's been very active for several weeks-" it is a bit like vulcanos? And hot compared to what? The rest of the sun is hot too?

@Jmaes detailed that well. It's called Solar Flares and the flare can be and usually are thousands of miles outward. A solar flare is an intense and massive burst of radiation.
I usually photo the sun in the late afternoon, several time a week. Very seldom it will erupt at the very edge of the SUN.. and will look tiny streak into the blackness of the photo. However, although it look tiny it's many thousands miles - the sun avg. 93 million miles out yonder.
Don't try this photography without proper filtering.

 

[K9Kirk]

Very cool shot! FUN FACT: (or not so fun) For those that don't know it, a large enough solar flare could wreak havoc on power grids across the planet. It would be a rare, but devastating occurrence. Without electricity for weeks or even months, it would cause worldwide chaos.

What Would Happen if Solar Storm of 1859 Occurred Today? - STSTW

Foreshadow of 1859 electromagnetic whiplash solar storm was caught by English Astronomer Richard Carrington on his telescopes on September 1, morning...

www.ststworld.com

 

[Charles Loy]

Very cool shot! FUN FACT: (or not so fun) For those that don't know it, a large enough solar flare could wreak havoc on power grids across the planet. It would be a rare, but devastating occurrence. Without electricity for weeks or even months, it would cause worldwide chaos.

That would be a very very very very unlikely occurrence, for sure - The flares are 25 to thirty thousand miles - while the earth is 93ish million miles away. I think it is interesting to think about, but nothing to concern. Radiation would wipe out the living on our planet.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

That would be a very very very very unlikely occurrence, for sure - The flares are 25 to thirty thousand miles - while the earth is 93ish million miles away. I think it is interesting to think about, but nothing to concern. Radiation would wipe out the living on our planet.

Maybe it will - and maybe it will wipe out 99% - or maybe thats what happened to the dinosaurs...


Anyway - I en enjoying learning more about the subject/s that we shoot. It's not only pretty pictures - but it stimulates the mind to think about the photo and what we are actually looking at.

 

[Charles Loy]

Maybe it will - and maybe it will wipe out 99% - or maybe thats what happened to the dinosaurs...


Anyway - I en enjoying learning more about the subject/s that we shoot. It's not only pretty pictures - but it stimulates the mind to think about the photo and what we are actually looking at.

I 100% totally believe that the earth has been populated with forms of life several times. And the previous could have been extinguished by the sun, no doubt. Earth at near 4 billion years, human life during the recent 200,00 years (or less) animal life dated back to 20 million years - lotta vacant years there. We know 1 billion (years) is a million years 1000 times. wowzer.

 

[K9Kirk]

That would be a very very very very unlikely occurrence, for sure - The flares are 25 to thirty thousand miles - while the earth is 93ish million miles away. I think it is interesting to think about, but nothing to concern. Radiation would wipe out the living on our planet.

Not according to the article.

 

[Irap]

So interesting to see this, thanks for posting it Charles.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

I think we are all armchair sun-experts - (and I have a lazy-boy) but from what I understand - the magnetic field of the earth acts as a protective layer between the sun and the earth. (that should minimize some risk)
Sun flares, meteorites, but wait - we are probably due for a polar flip too, in the next couple of hundred thousand years.

 

[K9Kirk]

I think we are all armchair sun-experts - (and I have a lazy-boy) but from what I understand - the magnetic field of the earth acts as a protective layer between the sun and the earth. (that should minimize some risk)
Sun flares, meteorites, but wait - we are probably due for a polar flip too, in the next couple of hundred thousand years.

I'm not an expert, I just quote and make links to them but hey, I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night!

 

[Ralph]

I noticed a moon series thread here, so maybe this is the place for my post.
SUN it's still spraying burning gas thousands of miles into space.
10/5 at 5.10 PM. All the spots are flaming hot gasses - it's been very active for several weeks - photo

View attachment 71072

Excellent Charles