Sunspots
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Flux emergence and cancellation in the super-flaring active region 12673 (2/2)
Solar Dynamics Observatory
Here we can see the evolution of AR 12673 from 2 to 7 September 2017. Initially, the active region consisted of a single isolated sunspot. Vigorous flux emergence took place in the active region over the course of the days, resulting in a very complex magnetic topology. This flux emergence process gave rise to two of the strongest flares of solar cycle 24, and one of the fastest coronal mass ejections on record.
The image shows the temporal evolution of the active region over the first 50 hours. There, one can see one active region system emerging in the vicinity of an older active region. The lower panels show the polarity of the field in a color scale.
In the movie, the left panel shows images of the solar surface in continuum intensity as observed by the HMI instrument aboard SDO. The right panel shows the vector magnetic field in the active region: the background represents the radial field and arrows are the horizontal field component. The cadence of the images is 12 minutes. Some jumps in time are due to spacecraft eclipses.
To download the movie, click HERE
Movie credit: Xudong Sun (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii)
Observations by SDO/HMI (NASA)
Regular sunspot observed with CHROMIS
A hole in the Sun (1/2)
A hole in the Sun (2/2)
Sunspot at high spatial resolution (1/3)
Sunspot at high spatial resolution (2/3)
Sunspot at high spatial resolution (3/3)
Sunspot in AR 11302
Sunspot with the Earth shown to scale
Circular polarisation in a sunspot
Sunspot near the limb
Sunspot near the limb
Sunspot and C5-flare
Sunspots, pores, and abnormal granules
[MOVIE] Short-term evolution of sunspots
[MOVIE] Birth of an active region
[MOVIE] Birth and death of an active region
Flux emergence and cancellation in the super-flaring active region 12673 (1/2)
[MOVIE] Flux emergence and cancellation in the super-flaring active region 12673 (2/2)