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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       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.   
      
                                    2024 May 13   
       A distant Sun is seen over water and between foreground trees. On the   
      lower part of the Sun is the gigantic active region AR 3664 visible by   
          its dark sunspots. Please see the explanation for more detailed   
                                   information.   
      
                             AR 3664 on a Setting Sun   
                      Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Meniero   
      
      Explanation: It was larger than the Earth. It was so big you could   
      actually see it on the Sun's surface without magnification. It   
      contained powerful and tangled magnetic fields as well as numerous dark   
      sunspots. Labelled AR 3664, it developed into one of the most energetic   
      areas seen on the Sun in recent years, unleashing a series of   
      explosions that led to a surge of energetic particles striking the   
      Earth, which created beautiful auroras. And might continue. Although   
      active regions on the Sun like AR 3664 can be quite dangerous, this   
      region's Coronal Mass Ejections have not done, as yet, much damage to   
      Earth-orbiting satellites or Earth-surface electrical grids. Pictured,   
      the enormous active region was captured on the setting Sun a few days   
      ago from Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy. The composite image includes a   
      very short exposure taken of just the Sun's surface, but mimics what   
      was actually visible. Finally, AR 3664 is now rotating away from the   
      Earth, although the region may survive long enough to come around   
      again.   
      
                Gallery: Earth Aurora from Solar Active Region 6443   
                        Tomorrow's picture: What is 42 - 5?   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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