Astronomy Picture of the Day · May 17, 2023

Sunspot with Light Bridge

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 17, 2023 is “Sunspot with Light Bridge,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Johnston). The original explanation runs about 152 words.

Dark spots against a yellow background are shown. When viewed in detail, a light bridge crosses the largest spot, while the yellow background appears composed of small, irregularly shaped components. Please see the explanation for more deta — Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Johnston Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Why would a small part of the Sun appear slightly dark? Visible is a close-up picture of sunspot s, depressions on the Sun’s surface that are slightly cooler and less bright than the rest of the Sun.”

— APOD editors, May 17, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: May 17, 2023
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Johnston
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 152 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 17 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, May 17, 2023 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2023-may-17-sunspot-with-light-bridge

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.