After quite a long while of deep solar minimum, the Sun is back at it again with the solar flares, signaling the start of a new solar cycle--and just in time for it is the publishing of new images of the Sun, care of the solar telescope called GREGOR.
Based on the scientists' statement, GREGOR can now capture various features of the Sun that are only 30 miles (50 kilometers) across, including a close-up image of a solar flare, which is terrifying as they are stunning.
The sunspot that was captured graced the surface of the Sun on July 30 of this year.
For those who are unaware, sunspots are a temporary region on the Sun's surface that appear darker as it's cooler than its surroundings.
Additionally, sunspots are areas wherein the star's magnetic field is exceptionally strong and produces solar flares and coronal mass ejections, something that could affect us here on Earth by disrupting signals and navigational systems.
Besides the rather scary image of a sunspot, which reminds one of a camel's eye, GREGOR was also able to capture solar granules, which, on the other hand, reminds people of popcorn.
Solar granules are the top of the convection cells in the solar plasma, and while they may look like popcorn, each granule is actually around 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) across, which is already 10% of the diameter of our planet.
The complete description of the team's upgrades on GREGOR is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
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Written by: Nhx Tingson
