Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2023 January 14
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             Perihelion Sun 2023
    Image Credit & [3]Copyright: Peter Ward ([4]Barden Ridge Observatory)

   Explanation: [5]Perihelion for 2023, Earth's closest approach to the
   Sun, was on January 4 at 16:17 UTC. That was less than 24 hours after
   this [6]sharp image of the Sun's disk was recorded with telescope and
   H-alpha filter from Sidney, Australia, planet Earth. [7]An H-alpha
   filter transmits a characteristic red light from hydrogen atoms. In
   views of the Sun it emphasizes the Sun's chromosphere, [8]a region just
   above the solar photosphere or normally visible solar surface. In this
   H-alpha image of the [9]increasingly active Sun planet-sized sunspot
   regions are dominated by bright splotches called plages. Dark filaments
   of plasma [10]snaking across the solar disk transition to bright
   prominences when seen [11]above the solar limb.

                    Tomorrow's picture: cosmic crustacean
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    Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & [25]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([26]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [27]Specific rights apply.
              [28]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2301/Sol3Jan2023web.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. http://www.atscope.com.au/BRO/bardenridgeobs.html
   5. https://www.thesuntoday.org/solstice-equinox/perihelion-2023/
   6. http://www.atscope.com.au/BRO/gallery590.html
   7. https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/guide-to-observing-the-sun-in-h-alpha092321050923/
   8. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/iris/multimedia/layerzoo.html
   9. https://blogs.nasa.gov/solarcycle25/2023/01/10/strong-solar-flare-erupts-from-sun-4/
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220913.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220624.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230113.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230114
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230115.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  25. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  26. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/