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January 8, 2014

Sunspot at Sunset

A sunset captured in Switzerland featured a sunspot so large it was visible to the naked eye.

“There’s never one sunrise the same or one sunset the same,” mused Carlos Santana. Indeed, sunrises and sunsets are the most watched celestial events, because they offer us something different every day.

In the image above, a sunset captured in Switzerland featured a sunspot so large it was visible to the naked eye. Detailed views reveal a large solar active region composed of sunspots, some larger than planet Earth itself. Cataloged as active region AR 1944, on January 7 it produced a substantial solar flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME) forecast to reach Earth.

Image Credit & Copyright: Jürg Alean

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