Sunspot, 2011-07-08

Image of a sunspot used in a public education display entitled "A Cosmic Connection: The Sun and it's Influence on Earth". The caption reads: Sunspots are dark blemishes on the face of the Sun. They form where bundles of strong magnetic fields poke outward from the solar interior. Sunspots are visual manifestations of immense magnetic plugs that inhibit the flow of energy, heat, and light to the Sun's surface. This picture is a supercomputer simulation of a sunspot showing elaborate magnetic fields surrounding a sunspot's dark, central core. Image courtesy NCAR/HAO.