Comments on: The sun is a mass of incandescent (Blue) gas...

The sun is a mass of incandescent (Blue) gas...

Taft — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:30:38 -0800

Astronomy Picture of the Day presents a truly magnificent sight: the blue sun.

By: explosion

explosion — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:46:43 -0800

It's worth noting from the second link that the picture was originally taken "in a specific red color of light emitted by hydrogen gas called Hydrogen-alpha and then color inverted to appear blue." It's still a great picture, but does absolutely nothing to explain where the Fruity Oaty Bars come from.

By: TedW

TedW — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:48:43 -0800

That is good! If you want more like this, a Google image search something like "sun h alpha" will get a ton of similar pics. I particularly like this one. I would love to try my hand at that sort of astrophotography, but the filter required is not cheap. It filters out all visible light except that emitted by a specific transition of the hydrogen atom and is widely used in astronomy.

By: mccarty.tim

mccarty.tim — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:49:16 -0800

The sun is shaped like a shag carpet? This could mean a lot for the future of metaphors in poetry.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:51:19 -0800

TedW's link looks disconcertingly like a small Mandelbrot set devouring the sun.

By: elmono

elmono — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:55:36 -0800

This seems relevant Fantastic photo.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:02:19 -0800

ON BIZARRO WORLD SUN AM ALWAYS BLUE

By: diogenes

diogenes — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:11:36 -0800

I don't care what the eggheads say. The sun is clearly a giant ball of fire.

By: sexyrobot

sexyrobot — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:22:41 -0800

anybody besides me starting to get really freaked out by the continuing lack of sunspots?

By: diogenes

diogenes — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:23:03 -0800

They Might Be Giants make it very clear that the sun is not made of gas, but is made of plasma. I know from listening to interviews with the band that they researched this thoroughly. Yet, the description of the image (written by a "professional astronomer") says that the sun is "an extremely large ball of bubbling hot gas." Who am I supposed to believe, a novelty rock duo, or an anonymous internet astronomer? I'm going to go with TMBG...

By: diogenes

diogenes — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:23:41 -0800

anybody besides me starting to get really freaked out by the continuing lack of sunspots? I wasn't, but now I'm thinking maybe I should?

By: Taft

Taft — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:28:06 -0800

They Might Be Giants make it very clear that the sun is not made of gas, but is made of plasma. I like the new, updated and more accurate version, but nothing will ever be as catchy as the first.

By: PenDevil

PenDevil — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:34:58 -0800

Two by two, hands of blue...

By: edd

edd — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:09:01 -0800

Astronomers will often not bother to distinguish between plasma and gas, especially when trying to interest the public who might well not know the difference anyway. Heck, cosmologists will often bundle the vast majority of matter into the category 'dust', and for an astronomer a metal is any element past helium. As a science it's not the most pedantic.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:10:47 -0800

mccarty.tim: "The sun is shaped like a shag carpet? This could mean a lot for the future of metaphors in poetry." Check out them spicules!

By: dr. fresh

dr. fresh — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:13:18 -0800

I think Adrian Belew should also get some credit for this, musically speaking. Extra bonus points to anyone who can find an online song clip that actually contains the words "big blue sun". All the ones I find stop just short.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:19:25 -0800

anybody besides me starting to get really freaked out by the continuing lack of sunspots? What? You're worried that the sun is, in fact, a gigantic egg containing an infant Dragon God of fire, flame, and hate, you will devour the Earth within seconds of it's horrible, horrible creation? Cause that's just crazy talk.

By: namewithoutwords

namewithoutwords — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:20:25 -0800

They Might Be Giants make it very clear that the sun is not made of gas, but is made of plasma. I know from listening to interviews with the band that they researched this thoroughly. Except that TMBG didn't write this song - it's a cover.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:20:40 -0800

I'm really pissed off there's not a space ship strong enough for me to fly through the photosphere and explore the inner layers of the Sun.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:23:48 -0800

What color is the universe? . . . The answer, depicted above, is a conditionally perceived shade of beige. See also: Cosmic Latte

By: reenum

reenum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:30:28 -0800

Damn! That's some cool stuff.

By: Joe Beese

Joe Beese — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:50:05 -0800

Suggested background music for viewing the site: John Coltrane's "Sun Ship".

By: edd

edd — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:01:26 -0800

"Except that TMBG didn't write this song - it's a cover." That one's a cover, but the one referred to by diogenes is not.

By: dhruva

dhruva — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:51:36 -0800

Here's another Blue sun, taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:23:08 -0800

I've been fond of X-ray images of the sun, although they too are more dramatic when the sun is more active.

By: digsrus

digsrus — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:29:13 -0800

Has anyone been able to figure out how to get the Astronomy Picture of the Day automatically sent to you? I know I'll forget to go back to the website by tomorrow.

By: vectr

vectr — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:37:26 -0800

Wolfdog, I remember thinking a similar thing when I first saw this image... looks like a mandelbrot set on it's side. Also: A jaw-dropping set of pictures on the always incredible The Big Picture blog.

By: vectr

vectr — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:39:39 -0800

("its" damn it)

By: polymath

polymath — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:04:17 -0800

Extra bonus points to anyone who can find an online song clip that actually contains the words "big blue sun". All the ones I find stop just short. How about the whole song available for streaming here?

By: pantsrobot

pantsrobot — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:13:53 -0800

Blue Sun Corp strikes again

By: bearwife

bearwife — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:31:26 -0800

How great to get this unusual view of the sun -- one I haven't seen before. Does this mean my new cool perspective on Sol will only happen once in a blue sun?

By: straight

straight — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:47:19 -0800

That one's a cover, but the one referred to by diogenes is not. If only I had video proof that I was singing "The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma" years before "Here Comes Science" was released...

By: bjork24

bjork24 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:44:53 -0800

I wish that Astronomical Picture of the Day site had some sort of feed. I always forget it exists.

By: Bangaioh

Bangaioh — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:50 -0800

It has.

By: bjork24

bjork24 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:29:31 -0800

Awesome.

By: Soupisgoodfood

Soupisgoodfood — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:12:32 -0800

It may be a magnificent sight, but not because it's blue. Or if that's the case for you, then you'll be delighted with what you can do in Photoshop.

By: WhackyparseThis

WhackyparseThis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:31:50 -0800

APOD also has a widget for the Mac geeks, although it gets confused when they post a video.