A new telescope at Big Bear Observatory, well known for the daily posting of a picture of the Sun, has provided us with a spectacular glimpse at the Sun’s “surface” and a sunspot:

NJIT Distinguished Professor Philip R. Goode and the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) team have achieved “first light” using a deformable mirror in what is called adaptive optics at Big Bear Solar Observatory. The image was published today on the website of Ciel et l’Espace, as the photo of the day. In September, Ciel et l’Espace, a popular astronomy magazine, will publish several more photos of the Sun taken with BBSO’s new adaptive optics system.

Goode said that the images were achieved with the 1.6 m clear aperture, off-axis New Solar Telescope (NST) at BBSO. The telescope has a resolution covering about 50 miles on the Sun’s surface. … (NJIT)