Monster Sunspot Larger Than Jupiter Stars in Amazing Sun Photos

[astr0144]

Monster Sunspot Larger Than Jupiter Stars in Amazing Sun Photos



A giant sunspot group takes center stage in these stunning images taken by avid sky photographer John Chumack.

"The massive sunspot AR 1967 is now wider than the planet Jupiter and is very active," Chumack told Space.com in an email on Feb. 4. "Yesterday no less than seven M-class solar flares have erupted from this region."

The sunspot group AR 1967 has continued to unleash several solar flares as it makes its two-week trek across the face of the sun, as seen from Earth. During its last rotation in January, the sunspot group was known as AR 1944 and fired off the first major sun storm of 2014 - an X-class solar flare - in January. X-class flares are the strongest solar storms the sun experiences, with M-class events registering as medium-strength solar events.

John Chumack captured three images of the giant sunspot on Feb. 3 from his backyard in Dayton, Ohio. Two full-disk images are featured: The first appears in hydrogen alpha light (Lunt 60mm/50 F Ha Scope, DMK 31AF04 Camera 1/436 second exposure, 720 frames Stacked), followed by an image of sun in white light from the use of Baader Solar Filter Film (Baader Solar Filter Film, 6" cave reflector, Canon Rebel Xsi, DSLR, 1/2000 second exposure, ISO 400). Chumack also sent Space.com a stunning close up shot of the sunspot group in hydrogen alpha light (Lunt 60mm/50 F Ha Scope, DMK 21AF04 Camera, 2x barlow 1/60 second exposure, 720 frames Stacked


http://news.yahoo.com/monster-sunspot-larger-jupiter-stars-amazing-sun-photos-115446118.html

[zorgon]

Sunspot region 1967 is so big it easily popped into view through a "cloud filter" Sunday afternoon Feb. 2. The group is visible with the naked eye properly shielded by a safe solar filter. Details: 350mm lens at f/11, ISO 200 and 1/2000?. Credit: Bob King

http://astrobob.areavoices.com/tag/sunspot/

[astr0144]

Thanks or adding the pictures "Z"..

What is it that they say happens when we get sun spots ?

I this case MAYBE are these some of the  Largest ever ! 

Sunspots:  One interesting aspect of the Sun is its sunspots.  Sunspots are areas where the magnetic field is about 2,500 times stronger than Earth's, much higher than anywhere else on the Sun.  Because of the strong magnetic field, the magnetic pressure increases while the surrounding atmospheric pressure decreases.  This in turn lowers the temperature relative to its surroundings because the concentrated magnetic field inhibits the flow of hot, new gas from the Sun's interior to the surface.

Sunspots tend to occur in pairs that have magnetic fields pointing in opposite directions.  A typical spot consists of a dark region called the umbra, surrounded by a lighter region known as the penumbra.   The sunspots appear relatively dark because the surrounding surface of the Sun (the photosphere) is about 10,000 degrees F., while the umbra is about 6,300 degrees F.  Sunspots are quite large as an average size is about the same size as the Earth.

Sunspots, Solar Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections and their influence on Earth:  Coronal Mass Ejections (shown left) and solar flares are extremely large explosions on the photosphere.  In just a few minutes, the flares heat to several million degrees F. and release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT.  They occur near sunspots, usually at the dividing line between areas of oppositely directed magnetic fields.  Hot matter called plasma interacts with the magnetic field sending a burst of plasma up and away from the Sun in the form of a flare.  Solar flares emit x-rays and magnetic fields which bombard the Earth as geomagnetic storms.  If sunspots are active, more solar flares will result creating an increase in geomagnetic storm activity for the Earth.   Therefore during sunspot maximums, the Earth will see an increase in the Northern and Southern Lights and a disruption in power grids and radio transmissions.  The storms can even change polarity in satellites which can damage sophisticated electronics. 

But the jury is still out on how much sunspots can (or do) affect the Earth's climate.  Times of maximum sunspot activity are associated with a very slight increase in the energy output from the sun.  Ultraviolet radiation increases dramatically during high sunspot activity, which can have a large effect on the Earth's atmosphere.  From the mid 1600s to early 1700s, a period of very low sunspot activity (known as the Maunder Minimum) coincided with a number of long winters and severe cold temperatures in Western Europe, called the Little Ice Age.  It is not known whether the two phenomena are linked or if it was just coincidence.  The reason it is hard to relate maximum and minimum solar activity (sunspots) to the Earth's climate, is due to the complexity of the Earth's climate itself.  For example, how does one sort out whether a long-term weather change was caused by sunspots, or maybe a coinciding El Nino or La Nina?  Increased volcanic eruptions can also affect the Earth's climate by cooling the planet.  And what about the burning of fossil fuels and clear cutting rain forests?  One thing is more certain, sunspot cycles have been correlated in the width of tree ring growth.  More study will be conducted in the future on relating sunspot activity and our Earth's climate. 

The Solar Cycle:  Sunspots increase and decrease through an average cycle of 11 years.  Dating back to 1749, we have experienced 23 full solar cycles where the number of sunspots have gone from a minimum, to a maximum and back to the next minimum, through approximate 11 year cycles.  We are now well into the 24th cycle.  A chart of the current cycle is available from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=sunspots

[The Matrix Traveller]

I Love these Pictures .... 

Remember Skylab ?

and the Alignment of All the Planets in our Solar system during 1982 and the "Sunspots" recorded ?

[Amaterasu]

I've peeked at sunspot data now and then over the years and I'm thinking that, given the sun's recent quiescence, this is a good thing.  What We see there is not all THAT uncommon that We should have great concern.

I had heard the same claim on at least one sunspot - and maybe even the same one z is showing - and I think I recall another.  The spin is rather OMG! on the title of the article.  But Me?  I'm not going to be concerned.  If it engulfs half the sun...  Yeah.  Might be accepting a fate I would rather not see.  For now...  Carry on.