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Exploring Solar Marvels: Above the Photosphere

Discover the Sun's fascinating phenomena above the photosphere - plages, prominences, solar flares, active regions, and sunspot variations. Learn about the Sun's influence on Earth's climate and the Maunder minimum. Dive deep into solar variability and its potential effects on our planet.

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Exploring Solar Marvels: Above the Photosphere

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  1. Activity Above the Sun’s Photosphere • One can view the portions of the Sun above the photosphere by looking at a specific emission line • This photo shows the Sun taken with a filter that passes light corresponding to transitions in calcium • The bright spots are called plages • Plages are regions of higher temperature that actually all the elements, not just the one being photographed Lecture 15

  2. Prominences • Higher in the Sun’s atmosphere we find prominences that usually originate near sunspots Lecture 15

  3. Solar Flares • Solar flares are the most violent event on the surface of the Sun • Flares seem to occur when various magnetic field lines rearrange themselves releasing huge amounts of energy Lecture 15

  4. Active Regions • Sunspots, flares and bright regions in the Sun’s chromosphere and corona tend to occur together • These phenomena appear at the same geographic location on the surface of the Sun but take place at different depths in the atmosphere of the Sun • These different phenomena can be seen with different wavelength EM radiation • All three pictures on the right were taken at the same time • Top is x-ray • Hot corona • Left is helium light • Strong chromospheric emission • Right is the magnetic field Lecture 15

  5. Variations in the Number of Sunspots • The number of sunspots varies with a period of around 11 years • There is evidence also of variance in the total number of sunspots over time • There is evidence that high energy cosmic rays are less abundant during high sunspot activity while low energy charged particles are more abundant Maunder minimum Lecture 15

  6. Solar Variability • Changes in solar activity affects the Earth’s climate • The Maunder minimum in sunspot activity corresponds with a very cold time in Earth’s history • 1645 - 1715 • Other cold times include 1400 - 1510 • Warm times include 1100 to 1250 • The Sun is 0.1% brighter (more energy) during solar maximum • Should not be enough to change the Earth’s climate • UV radiation is 1% higher • May affect the ozone layer • A 1% change in solar output would be necessary to affect the Earth’s climate and we do not see such variations • Other stars to show such variations so it seems possible that our Sun could have varied in the past although we have never seen more that 0.1% variation Lecture 16

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