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This image combines
a picture of the visible surface of the Sun (the photosphere), with contours of the
vertical component of the magnetic field (Bz). Intensity levels are
±10, 40, 400, 700, and 1000 Gauss (G). (The strength of the Earth's magnetic field at the
surface is about 1/2 G.) Tick marks on the image represent the direction of the
horizontal component of the field (Bt) for field strengths which are above 150
G.
This image is
from an H-alpha telescope which rides "piggy-back" on the vector magnetograph's
telescope. The H-alpha images view the Sun in a different color than the vector
magnetograph and provide additional information on the orientation of the sunspots'
magnetic field. Also, since solar flares are very rarely observed in the light which
originates on the visible surface of the Sun, observing in the light of H-alpha allows
scientists to view solar flares as they occur.
MORE vector magnetograms: Directories are designated by the day, month, and year (yyyymmdd) and filenames correspond to NOAA active region number.
For lists of available data prior to and including 1997, and to request data press here.
Return to MSFC Solar Physics Branch homepage.