Email Print Share

All Images


Research News

Voyage to the Center of the Sun

Sound waves in the Sun

Just as an earthquake here on Earth can send shock waves throughout the planet, sound waves on the Sun can bounce off the surface and go deep into the core.

Credit: National Optical Astronomy Observatories


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (48 KB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.

A solar "note".

Sound waves bouncing around the Sun can set it to ringing like a bell. This computer-generated image shows the pattern of up and down movements on the surface from a single solar "note." The blue patches move up while the red patches move down, and vice versa. The real Sun actually rings with about 10 million such notes.

Credit: National Optical Astronomy Observatories


Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (31 KB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.