Under the Sunspots
New studies show that the Sun's active regions — areas of intense eruptions — are formed from many small magnetic structures (white loops) that rise from deep within the interior, then pierce the surface to form sunspots (dark areas). These structures appear as giant arches when electrified gas (plasma) passes through their magnetic fields.
Magnetic field lines poke through the solar surface, producing sunspots and occasionally flares.
Standard def frames
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Conceptual Image Lab
-
Animator
- Walt Feimer (HTSI)
Release date
This page was originally published on Thursday, March 20, 2003.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:57 PM EDT.