Sunspot. Drawing by Samuel Langley (1834-1906),solar physicist,of a sunspot. Sunspots are dark areas on the Sun's surface caused by fluctuating magnetic fields within the Sun. They typically have a dark centre (umbra) and a less dark penumbra,as drawn here. Sunspot numbers vary in cycles of around 11 years,the cause of which is not fully understood. This drawing was made on 23 December 1873,during a period of high sunspot activity. Langley was a self-taught astronomer,and was also a pioneer of aircraft design. He invented the bolometer in 1880,which measures the infra-red energy of the Sun. This effectively started the field of infra-red astronomy | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library |
Bildgröße: | 5305 px × 3466 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |