Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2022 November 6
     [2]The featured image shows a dark ball covered with light and dark
       markings in front of a color-negative starfield Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                       Dark Ball in Inverted Starfield
                         Image Credit: Jim Lafferty

   Explanation: Does this strange dark ball look somehow familiar? If so,
   that might be because it is our Sun. In the featured image from 2012, a
   detailed solar view was captured originally in a [3]very specific color
   of red light, then rendered in black and white, and then [4]color
   inverted. Once complete, the resulting image was added to a
   [5]starfield, then also color inverted. Visible in the image of the Sun
   are [6]long light filaments, dark active regions, [7]prominences
   peeking around the edge, and a [8]moving carpet of hot gas. The surface
   of our [9]Sun can be a busy place, in particular during [10]Solar
   Maximum, the time when its surface [11]magnetic field is wound up the
   most. Besides an [12]active Sun being so picturesque, the [13]plasma
   expelled can also become [14]picturesque when it impacts the
   [15]Earth's magnetosphere and creates [16]auroras.

   Compute it Yourself: [17]Browse 2,900+ codes in the Astrophysics Source
                                Code Library
                     Tomorrow's picture: nebular mystery
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([32]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [33]Specific rights apply.
              [34]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC,
                         [38]NASA Science Activation
                           & [39]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2211/darksun_lafferty_1600.jpg
   3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_alpha
   4. http://img09.deviantart.net/4514/i/2013/361/b/5/black_kitten___colour_invert_drawing_by_naiengele-d6zmjsh.jpg
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211124.html
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220913.html
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220216.html
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221102.html
   9. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-the-sun/en/
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/20jul_tasteofsolarmax/
  11. http://solar-center.stanford.edu/magnetism/magneticfields.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141022.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_%28physics%29
  14. https://www.chelmsfordma.gov/ImageRepository/Document?documentID=9965
  15. https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/focus-areas/magnetosphere-ionosphere
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201109.html
  17. http://ascl.net/
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221105.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  27. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221106
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221107.html
  29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  39. http://www.mtu.edu/