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Activity in the Photosphere

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Part of the book series: Astronomers' Universe ((ASTRONOM))

Abstract

The visible surface of the Sun is a layer called the photosphere. This layer is a thin shell of hot, ionised gases or plasma about 400 km thick. Most of the energy radiated by the Sun passes through this layer. From Earth, the surface looks smooth, but it is actually turbulent and granular because of convection currents.

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Correspondence to John Wilkinson .

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Wilkinson, J. (2012). Activity in the Photosphere. In: New Eyes on the Sun. Astronomers' Universe. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22839-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22839-1_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-22838-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-22839-1

  • eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)

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