Largest Sunspot In Recent Years

MEDIA ADVISORY April 2, 2001 PA/M 01-12

IMAGES AVAILABLE: LARGEST SUNSPOT IN RECENT YEARS

Dramatic images of the largest sunspot to appear in a decade are available from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Solar Observatory.

What: Images were taken with the NSF's Richard B. Dunn Telescope at Sacramento Peak, Sunspot, N.M., on March 27; McMath-Pierce Telescope at Kitt Peak, Ariz., on March 30; and Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) in Big Bear, Calif., on March 30. (Images should be credited to NSF National Solar Observatory)

Where: Images of the sunspot, with captions, are available at http://www.noao.edu/outreach/press. More information on the National Solar Observatory is available at http://www.nso.noao.edu.

Background: Solar scientists estimated that the diameter of this sunspot reached more than 140,000 kilometers (86,800 miles) across, or 11 times the diameter of the earth, and large enough to be visible to the naked eye.

For more information, contact:Amber Jones (703) 292-8070/[email protected]

Broadcast editors:For animation of how a solar telescope works and b-roll of one of the telescopes, contact Dena Headlee, NSF(703) 292-8070/[email protected]