|
This view of the Sun was obtained in 1994 by Yohkoh, a Japanese Earth-orbiting solar observatory. The Sun is a 1,390,000-kilometer-wide sphere of hydrogen and helium that is powered by nuclear fusion. The image shows the Sun at X-ray wavelengths and highlights prominences and gaseous activity in the Sun's hot atmosphere, or corona. Prominences form large loops of hot ionized gas that travel along magnetic field lines, which are highly distorted near the Sun's surface. This stereo image uses the Sun's rotation to provide stereo relief. The two views used to construct this image were obtained 13 hours apart. Right click here to download a high-resolution version of the image (106 KB)
|
