AR1793 & Polygonal Cells - 20th July 2013

Close-up of AR1793.
www.astroshot.com/Solar/2013/13-07-20-08..._g3_b3_ap4228-V2.png
Earth shown to scale.
Also note the granules (polygonal shapes) on the photosphere.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granule_(solar_physics)

Michael.

Remarkable image Michael.

The Sun's surface is indeed seething (life of granule 8-20 mins as per your wikipedia link).
The granules all appear to have approximately the same diameter.
It is interesting that they do not appear, in general, to be hexagonal.
See www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/outreach/education...vection/RBCells.html
On my brief look-up of this phenomenon I would suggest that the (non-hexagonal) patterns are influenced by the phenomena undernetath the photosphere.

The pillars at the Giants Causeway is an example of the same phenomenon - as far as I know.

Very thought-provoking - thanks for posting.

Mark C.

That's awesome. I love the scale comparison.

I've seen the granules in my MK67 with a fairly standard solar filter but never with that kind of contrast. I certainly couldn't make out the shapes.

That scale is mindblowing!

mjc wrote: It is interesting that they do not appear, in general, to be hexagonal.

I'm thinking that occurs because each one operates independently of the next.
As one cell rises, it pushes against a decaying cell adjacent to it and takes over a little bit of that cell's space.
Hence, they are all irregular shaped polygons.

Did you take that image?