Uploaded February 2011 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
By overlaying and fading from an SDO image of the Sun in extreme UV light (false color gold) to a SOHO magnetic image (taken at almost the same time), we can reveal the magnetic nature of active regions (Feb. 9, 2011). The initial still image shows several active regions that appear white. Then, we fade to a SOHO magnetic image (black and white) of the Sun's surface, in which the same active regions appear as patches of black and white. These represent the north and south polarities of the region. The still shows about half transparency of each image. Active regions, if strong enough, would appear as sunspots if the image were projected onto a flat surface.
Source: soho.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/11feb2011
By overlaying and fading from an SDO image of the Sun in extreme UV light (false color gold) to a SOHO magnetic image (taken at almost the same time), we can reveal the magnetic nature of active regions (Feb. 9, 2011). The initial still image shows several active regions that appear white. Then, we fade to a SOHO magnetic image (black and white) of the Sun's surface, in which the same active regions appear as patches of black and white. These represent the north and south polarities of the region. The still shows about half transparency of each image. Active regions, if strong enough, would appear as sunspots if the image were projected onto a flat surface.
Source: soho.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/11feb2011
