July 29, 2003
The cosmos has been expanding since the beginning of time, making room for galaxies, for stars, for planets — and ultimately, for you.
Orange Sun Simmering
Birthday · July 29, 2003
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published July 29, 2003. Credit: Ralph Encarnacion. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
ven a quiet Sun is a busy place. The above image, taken in a single color of light called Hydrogen Alpha, records a great amount of detail of the simmering surface of our parent star. The gradual darkening towards the Sun's edge, called limb darkening, is caused by increased absorption of relatively cool solar gas. Further over the edge, a giant prominence is visible, while a different prominence can be seen in silhouette as the dark streak near the image center. Two active areas of the Sun are marked by bright plages. The above amateur photograph of the Sun was taken just last month through a small telescope and a standard digital camera. In contrast, there are times when our Sun appears much more active.
Image credit: Ralph Encarnacion