This
is a quiet day on the Sun. The image shows, however, that even during off
days the Sun's surface is a busy place. Shown in ultraviolet light, the
relatively cool dark regions have temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius.
Large sunspot group AR 9169 is visible as the bright area near the horizon. |
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The
bright glowing gas flowing around the sunspots has a temperature of over
one million degrees Celsius. The reason for the high temperatures is unknown
but thought to be related to the rapidly changing magnetic field loops that
channel solar plasma. Sunspot group AR 9169 moved across the Sun during
2000 September and decayed in a few weeks. |
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