Sun's Photosphere (IMAGE)

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Sun's Photosphere

Caption

The primary mirror of the new solar telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory offers the highest power resolution ever available from a land-based telescope. To demonstrate this power, solar granulation covering a field of 12,000 by 12,000 miles or 19,000 by 19,000 kilometers is shown. Bright points appear side-by-side in dark lanes between granules. These bright points are believed to be associated with magnetic field concentrations on the Sun and are 50 miles in diameter. If you were to view an equivalent image on earth, you’d need an instrument that would allow you to see a row of dimes from a distance of more than 20 miles. Tick marks are separated by intervals of 620 miles or 1000 kilometers.

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BBSO/NJIT

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