This image may not be used to state or imply NOAO endorsement of any company or product Optical photograph of the Sun taken in the red light of hydrog

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This image may not be used to state or imply NOAO endorsement of any company or product Optical photograph of the Sun taken in the red light of hydrogen alpha. The grainy appearance of the surface (granulation) is caused by pockets of hot gas (convection cells) rising and falling in the photosphere. The image was recorded in the redder part of the hydrogen alpha spectral line and so emphasises motion in the Sun's atmosphere.

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Size: 3626px × 2480px
Photo credit: © NOAO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: astronomy, cells, convection, cosmology, granulation, imag, image, optical, science, solar, sun