                        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.

                                2023 June 11
   A rainbow of the Sun's colors is shown from deep red on the upper left
    to deep blue on the lower right. Some horizontal lines have gaps that
    appear dark where some colors are missing. the image. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                       The Sun and Its Missing Colors
         Image Credit: Nigel Sharp (NSF), FTS, NSO, KPNO, AURA, NSF

   Explanation: Here are all the visible colors of the Sun, produced by
   passing the Sun's light through a prism-like device. The spectrum was
   created at the McMath-Pierce Solar Observatory and shows, first off,
   that although our white-appearing Sun emits light of nearly every
   color, it appears brightest in yellow-green light. The dark patches in
   the featured spectrum arise from gas at or above the Sun's surface
   absorbing sunlight emitted below. Since different types of gas absorb
   different colors of light, it is possible to determine what gasses
   compose the Sun. Helium, for example, was first discovered in 1870 on a
   solar spectrum and only later found here on Earth. Today, the majority
   of spectral absorption lines have been identified - but not all.

                   Tomorrow's picture: largest satellites
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

