The sun, taken through a special solar filter. As you can see there are no spots. And this has been the norm for a while now. 2008 was the quietest year on the sun since 1913, and 2009 is shaping up to be even quieter. The sun was actually slightly less luminous last year, by 0.02% in visible light and ~ 6% in extreme UV since the last solar minimum in 1996 (they happen every 11 years or so, on a regular cycle). You can read more about it at this NASA page.
5 comments:
Spectacular!!
Ummmm... WOW! ...Awesome shot!
As the sun gets older you expect to see the spots clear up, I mean it isn't a teenager anymore is it. Is It?
Wow! That made for an amazing shot.
I thought this was the moon. When you realize it's the sun, it takes on a certain apocalyptic aspect.
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