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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Sun Gets Fatter "Waist" During Magnetic Peaks


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The sun appears to have ridged skin like a cantaloupe in a July 2005 image taken by amateur astronomer Gary Palmer.

High magnetic activity creates this rough texture periodically, which makes the sun appear fatter around the middle than it actually is, an October 2008 study says.

Image courtesy Gary Palmer