SOHO - Solar Wind Illustrated
Even in the doldrums of an extended solar minimum, our nearest star continues to be dynamic in it’s (mostly) unseen behavior. This week’s SOHO Pick of the Week illustrates some of this unseen activity in this animation.
A few areas of this rather unremarkable solar image taken in extreme ultraviolet (UV) light on August 4, 2009, provide good starting points for explicating some of the unseen features of the Sun. For one thing, the darker polar coronal holes at the Sun’s poles (top and bottom) are the source of open magnetic field lines (red) that head way out into space. They are also the source regions of the fast solar wind, which is characterized by a relatively steady speed of approximately 800 km/s.
A more variable slow solar wind (gray) flows from all other areas of the Sun, carrying particles out into space. The solar wind defines the breadth of our solar system, the heliosphere. The image also shows a dark coronal hole at lower latitudes, just about facing towards Earth. The high speed solar wind particles (white) blowing from there will likely reach Earth in a few days and may spark some auroral activity. Lastly, magnetic loops (yellow) above the one sizeable active region arc out and connect back to an area of opposite polarity. Hot particles in these loops make them visible in UV light.
Safe to say, there is more than meets the eye when studying the Sun.
Nobody knows for sure, but the lack of sunspot activity could continue and make the next solar cycle one of the longest minimums in modern times. Shall we call it the Gore Minimum?
sig94 said,
August 8, 2009 @ 13:37:23 PDT
Actually the Gore Minimum is the number of times I have to yank the lever on one of his $%@# water saving toilets to get a medium density turd flushed! God help me if I go to a high fiber diet!
Cap'n Bob said,
August 8, 2009 @ 17:54:56 PDT
Gore IS a medium density turd.
sig94 said,
August 8, 2009 @ 19:17:25 PDT
I stand corrected. And I will definitely try to flush him if he comes a-calling.