The solar corona occurs and is visible only during a total solar eclipse. The solar
corona isn't visible during a partial or ring eclipse.
The solar corona is only visible for a few minutes during a total eclipse. The form
which the corona takes may differ between eclipses. The corona's shape changes
in a striking way along with the frequency of sunspots. Typical forms of the Sun's
corona near the period of maximum sunspot activity are shown at the top of figure
and near the period of minimum sunspot activity at the bottom of figure. At the time
of minimum sunspot activity the main streamers are extended along the direction of
the solar equator. At the time of maximum sunspot activity, rays and other features
are extended in different directions from the center of the solar disk. In both cases, it
is possible to see a symmetrical pattern of short curved rays at each pole. These
rays look like the magnetic lines of force around a bar magnet.
Shapes of the corona are nearly identical for different eclipses if the number of
sunspots (W) are equal. This is in spite of different dates, observing conditions etc.
The number of sunspots is the main variable which determines the shape of the solar
corona observed during a total eclipse of the Sun.
So, if the sunspot number is known, we can design a series of typical views of solar
coronas for any total eclipse using real images from different total eclipses. Using the
known cycles of solar activity it is possible to predict a sunspot number for each past
and future total solar eclipse and to represent a view of the solar corona which is
close to the real corona's shape. Calculated values of W (the sunspot number) for
the period between the 18th century and the 21st century are shown in figure.
The zero point is 1957.90. A comparison of calculated with observed values of W shows
a high level of correlation with minor deviations.
Real images of solar coronas for 10 eclipses, observed at different dates, were used
as the basis for modeling the images of coronas seen in RedShift's events/eclipse
feature. The sunspot number interval for these images is about 20W. The views of
the corona are typical for observations made using amateur telescopes.
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