MATCHING MAGNETIC ACTIVITY AND ACTIVE REGIONS
(Single page version of the activity)
This is a fun activity that calls for matching up pairs of images of
the Sun. This can be done online or printed out and done in a class or
small group setting. Each pair was taken about the same time on a given
day, but the pairs were taken from five different days over the past
few years. The black and white images reveal areas of strong magnetic
activity on the Sun's surface, in which the black indicates one pole of
magnetic attraction and white the other. The yellow images show
activity above the Sun's surface in extreme ultraviolet light in which
areas of more intense activity appear lighter. These regions of intense
activity, where magnetic forces are connecting, breaking apart and
reconnecting, are often the sources of solar storms. Many of these
areas would appear as sunspots in "white light" or simply filtered
images of the Sun.
You will find that the magnetic images match up very closely with the
ultraviolet images. See if you can find the pairs of images taken on
the same days.
solution key
After you have completed the activity, click on this movie [available formats: MPEG (2.6M), QT-Large (1.3M) and small (382k)] to see how
active regions (seen here by SOHO in a different wavelength of UV
light) and magnetic areas match up as the Sun rotates.
