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.

                                2023 July 11
     [2]Our Sun is pictured with hundreds of dark sunspots. The image is
    actually a composite of all of the sunspots visible during the first
       half of this year. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                          Sunspots on an Active Sun
   Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]SDO; Processing & Copyright: [5]Şenol Şanlı

   Explanation: Why is our Sun so [6]active now? No one is sure. An
   increase in surface activity was expected because [7]our Sun is
   approaching [8]solar maximum in 2025. However, last month our Sun
   sprouted more [9]sunspots than in any month during the entire previous
   [10]11-year solar cycle -- and even dating back to 2002. The
   [11]featured picture is a composite of images taken every day from
   January to June by [12]NASA's [13]Solar Dynamic Observatory. Showing a
   high abundance of sunspots, large individual spots can be tracked
   across the Sun's disk, left to right, over about two weeks. As a solar
   cycle continues, sunspots typically [14]appear closer to the equator.
   Sunspots are just one way that our Sun displays [15]surface activity --
   another is [16]flares and [17]coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that expel
   particles out into the [18]Solar System. Since these particles can
   affect astronauts and electronics, tracking surface disturbances is of
   more than [19]aesthetic value. Conversely, [20]solar activity can have
   very high aesthetic value -- in the Earth's atmosphere when they
   trigger aurora.

                   Tomorrow's picture: star bar with rings
     __________________________________________________________________

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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [32]Robert Nemiroff ([33]MTU) & [34]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([35]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [36]Specific rights apply.
              [37]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [38]ASD at [39]NASA / [40]GSFC,
                         [41]NASA Science Activation
                           & [42]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2307/SpottedSun_Sanli_960.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.instagram.com/snlsanli/
   6. https://spaceweather.com/images2023/02jul23/sunspotcounts.jpg
   7. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_maximum
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230517.html
  10. https://www.livescience.com/33345-solar-cycle-sun-activity.html
  11. https://www.instagram.com/p/CuZ1M4MoYx6/
  12. https://www.nasa.gov/
  13. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/main/index.html
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spörer's_law
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141022.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180902.html
  17. https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/the-difference-between-flares-and-cmes
  18. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/in-depth/
  19. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/70/c4/1970c4a0f2b45435436b547c27b54ea7.png
  20. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/the-heliopedia
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230710.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  30. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230711
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230712.html
  32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  34. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  35. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  38. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  41. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  42. http://www.mtu.edu/