Evolution of solar granulation

Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope

This movie shows the evolution of granules and intergranular lanes in the quiet Sun as recorded near the disk center for one hour. The observations were taken in the continuum of the H-alpha line.

Granulation is a manifestation of convection in the solar photosphere. Granules are bright cells where hot gas from subsurface layers moves upwards, releasing heat on its way up until it turns over and descends through the intergranular lanes. Their lifetimes range from 5 to 10 minutes.  Convection is the most efficient mechanism for energy transport in the solar photosphere.

To download the movie, click HERE

Movie credit: Luc Rouppe van der Voort (ITA, University of Oslo)

Source: SST Galleries