Image Release: ALMA Reveals Sun in New Light

Nrao_gallery_nrao16cb20a_1024

nrao_Gallery_nrao16cb20a  

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

This ALMA image of an enormous sunspot was taken on 18 December 2015 with the Band 6 receiver at a wavelength of 1.25 millimeters. Sunspots are transient features that occur in regions where the Suns magnetic field is extremely concentrated and powerful. They are lower in temperature than their surrounding regions, which is why they appear relatively dark in visible light. The ALMA image is essentially a map of temperature differences in a layer of the Sun's atmosphere known as the chromosphere, which lies just above the visible surface of the Sun (the photosphere). The chromosphere is considerably hotter than the photosphere. Understanding the heating and dynamics of the chromosphere are key areas of research that will be addressed by ALMA. Observations at shorter wavelengths probe deeper into the solar chromosphere than longer wavelengths. Hence, band 6 observations map a layer of the chromosphere that is closer to the visible surface of the Sun than band 3 observations.

Provider: National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Image Source: /image/nrao/Gallery_nrao16cb20a

Curator: NRAO/AUI/NSF, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Sun the Sun
Subject - Solar System
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Young Stellar Object

Distance

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 17h 44m 10.1s
DEC = -23° 19’ 30.6”
Constellation
Sagittarius
Nrao_gallery_nrao16cb20a_1280
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ID
Gallery_nrao16cb20a
Subject Category
A.3.1.2  
Subject Name
Sun, the Sun
Credits
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
Release Date
Lightyears
1.6E-5
Redshift
1.6E-5
Reference Url
/image/nrao/Gallery_nrao16cb20a
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
2015-12-18T19:23
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
Reference Value
2.660421345959E+02, -2.332517542375E+01
Reference Dimension
951, 926
Reference Pixel
470, 460
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
SIN
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
NRAO/AUI/NSF
URL
https://public.nrao.edu
Name
NRAO/AUI/NSF
Email
outreach@nrao.edu
Telephone
Address
520 Edgemont Road
City
Charlottesville
State/Province
Virginia
Publisher
NRAO/AUI/NSF
Publisher ID
nrao
Resource ID
Resource URL
/image/nrao/Gallery_nrao16cb20a
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2018-05-04T14:34:17-04:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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