Largest Sunspot in Years Observed on the Sun
(The gigantic sunspot in the upper left of this image is about 50,000 miles (80,000 km) long and was observed on the sun by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Nov. 3, 2011. CREDIT: SDO )
“One of the largest sunspots in years has appeared on the sun, darkening part of its glowing face.”
“The massive sunspot, called AR1339, is about 50,000 miles (80,000 km) long, and 25,000 miles (40,000 km) wide, reportsSpaceWeather.com. For comparison, Earth itself is only 8,000 miles (12,800 km) wide.”
“The sunspot behemoth isn’t yet facing our planet, but was spotted today (Nov. 3) by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite. The spacecraft’s photos of the giant sunspot show the solar region as it comes into view on the northeastern edge, or limb, of the sun.”
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strictlyastronomy posted this
Astronomy news, recent research results, and pretty pictures from the media along with context, commentary, and explanations for folks who dig this sort of thing. Written by a quasi-professional astronomer affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin.
