What We See When We Study the Sun?

Bright, hot, and 93 million miles away, explore the brilliant features on the Sun that can be seen through a safe solar telescope.

By Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

Image of the Sun by Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum ObservatorySmithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

This visible spot is aptly called a prominence – a loop of hot gas that flows along the magnetic fields above the Sun’s surface.

A filament is simply a prominence that is seen on the face of the Sun, instead of on the side.

A bright spot on the Sun is called a plage, the French word for beach. These clouds of hot gas in the Sun’s atmosphere often gather above sunspots.

This image was captured with a safe solar telescope. By blocking all colors of light except a specific shade of red called hydrogen-alpha, our telescope reveals the lower atmosphere of the Sun.

Prominences Around the SunSmithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

We have our telescope trained on the Sun almost daily.

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