Pinpointing the Nature of Dark Cores in Sunspots (5 of 7) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Pinpointing the Nature of Dark Cores in Sunspots (5 of 7)

Caption

An image of the sunspot taken in blue light where the spatial resolution is highest. The image has been colorized for aesthetic reasons. The sunspot consists of the central dark umbra surrounded by the filamentary penumbra. The spot is surrounded by granulation. This image with 0.1 arcsecond resolution from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope represents the limit of what is currently possible in terms of spatial resolution. This image relates to an article that appeared in the June 2, 2011, issue of Science Express, published by AAAS. The study, by G.B. Scharmer of Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues was titled, "Detection of Convective Downflows in a Sunspot Penumbra."

Credit

[The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Vasco M.J. Henriques]

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Please cite the owner of the image when publishing. This image may be freely used by reporters as part of news coverage, with proper attribution. Non-reporters must contact <i>Science</i> for permission.

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