Features of the Sun in Calcium:
By observing the sun with a
narrow bandpass filter tuned
to 3968.5Å, we can observe
the behavior of the Sun's
Chromosphere.
The
chromosphere is like a shell of
gas
around
the
Sun's
photosphere, always moving and changing. The chromosphere's
structure behaves differently in active regions than quiet areas, where
magnetic field lines are stronger. Thought to be tied to the photosphere,
the chromosphere is governed by magnetic forces and, yet it still has its
own IntraNetwork (IN) of material oscillating every 5 minutes.
Plages/Faculae: Most of the
active region area is occupied
by
plage.
Considerable
atmospheric
heating
takes
place in the plage. It is bright
in everything from Halpha to
the Calcium H and K lines.
This heating is thought to account for an absence of spicule. While
absent over plage, spicule are prominent around its edges.
Sunspots: Dark spots on the
Sun
are
areas
of
high
magnetic fields which have a
cooler temperature. The
darkest central region is called
the umbra, and the lighter
region ringing the umbra is the
penumbra.
