A

Active -
Solar activity levels with at least one geophysical event or several
larger radio events per day.
Active Region (AR)
A localized, transient volume of the solar atmosphere in which plages,
sunspots, faculae, flares, etc. may be observed.
Angstrom
A unit of length = 1.0E0!cm.
AstronomicaI Unit (AU) a pua
"he mean EarthSun distance, e#ual to 1.$%&E'1(cm or )1$.%$ solar
radii.
Aurora - ya
A faint visual *optical+ phenomenon on the Earth associated with
geomagnetic activity, which occurs mainly in the highlatitude night s,y.
"ypical auroras are 100 to )-0 ,m above the ground. "he Aurora
.orealis occurs in the northern hemisphere and the Aurora Australis
occurs in the southern hemisphere.
B
BarteIs Rotation Number - Ban au j
"he serial number assigned to )/day recurrence periods of solar and
geophysical parameters. "he e#uatorial rotation rate of the Sun is very
close to )/ days. 0otation 1 1ay 1 in this se#uence was assigned
arbitrarily by 2. .artels to 3ebruary !, 1!().
Burst - Cn
A transient enhancement of the solar radio emmision, usually
associated with an active region or flare.
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C
Chromosphere Xqa
"he layer of the solar atmosphere above the photosphere and beneath
the transition region and the corona. 4t is seen during eclipses as a
bright red ring around the Sun, and the term burning prairie has been
used to describe it.
Coordinated UniversaI Time Yna ysan
.y international agreement, the local time at the prime meridian, which
passes through 5reenwich, England. "herefore, it is also ,nown as
5reenwich 6ean "ime, or sometimes simply 7niversal "ime.
Corona - Ka
"he outermost layer of the solar atmosphere, characterized by low
densities *81.0E'0%9cm:(+ and e;traordinarily high temperatures
*<1.0E'0& degrees =+ that e;tends to several solar radii. "he heating
of the corona is still a mystery. "he shape of the corona is different at
solar ma;imum and at solar minimum.
CoronaI HoIe yna aa
An e;tended region of the corona, e;ceptionally low in density *large
open >gaps>+, and associated with photospheric regions. ?oronal holes
are closely associated with those regions on the Sun that have an
>open> magnetic geometry, that is, the magnetic field lines associated
with them e;tend far outward into interplanetary space, rather than
looping bac, to the photosphere. 4onized material can flow easily along
such a path, and this in turn aids the mechanism that causes high
speed solar wind streams to develop.
CoronaI Mass Ejection (CME).
An observable change in coronal structure that occurs on a time scale
between a few minutes and several hours, and involves the
appearance of a new discrete, bright, white light feature in the
coronagraph field of view, that displays a predominantly outward
motion. "he solar corona material is massive in size *they can occupy
up to a #uarter of the solar limb+, and fre#uently accompanied by the
remnants of an eruptive prominence, and less often by a strong solar
flare. "he leading edges of fastmoving ?6Es drive giant shoc, waves
before them through the solar wind at speeds up to 1)00 ,m per
second. Some astronomers believe that ?6Es are the crucial lin,
between a solar disturbance its propagation through the heliosphere,
and the effects on the Earth.
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D
DifferentiaI Rotation qujanaa Pauja
"he change in solar rotation rate with latitude. @ow latitudes rotate at a
faster angular rate *appro;. 1$ degrees per day+ than do high latitudes
*appro;. 1) degrees per day+. 3or e;ample, the e#uatorial rotation
period is )/./ days compared to )!.& days at latitude $0 degrees.
Disk -
"he visible surface of the Sun *or any heavenly body+ proAected against
the s,y.
E
EcIipse 3ayan (Enna)
Eclipses occur when the Sun, 6oon, and Earth precisely line up. "he
6oon, in its orbit around the Earth, is inclined at about - degrees to the
ecliptic *the plane at which the Earth orbits the Sun+. "herefore the
6oon spends most of its time above or below the ecliptic plane. "he
Sun must be at a precise location too. Since the Sun travels an
apparent path around the celestial sphere once per year, eclipses are
possible only at roughly si;month intervals.
Emerging FIux Region (EFR).
An area on the Sun where new magnetic flu; is erupting.
Eruptive - Eyn
Solar activity levels with at least one radio event and several
chromospheric events per day.
ExtremeIy Low Frequency (ELF) E a qquja
"hat portion of the radio fre#uency spectrum from (0 to (000 hertz.
Extreme UItravioIet (EUV) Ynan
A portion of the electromagnetic spectrum from appro;imately 100 to
1000 angstroms.
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F
F Corona. (Fraunhofer Corona) Oayxq a
Bf the white light corona *that is, the corona seen by the eye at a total
solar *eclipse+, that portion which is caused by sunlight scattered or
reflected by solid particles *dust+ in interplanetary space. "he 3 corona
e;tends from the solar corona from about two or three solar radii far
beyond the Earth into space, so that it can actually be seen at night as
a faint glow along the ecliptic, the glow is ,nown as zodiacal light.
FacuIa - Oayna
A bright cloudli,e feature located a few hundred ,m above the
photosphere near sunspot groups, seen in white light. 3acula are
seldom visible e;cept near the solar limb, although they occur all
across the Sun. 3acula are clouds of emission that occur where a
strong magnetic field creates e;tra heat *about (00 degrees = above
surrounding areas+.
FibriI - On
A linear pattern in the Calpha chromosphere of the Sun, as seen
through an Calpha filter, occurring near strong sunspots and plages or
in filament channels.
FiIament. D
A mass of gas suspended over the photosphere by magnetic fields and
seen as dar, lines threaded over the solar dis,. A filament on the limb
of the Sun seen in emission against the dar, s,y is called a
prominence.
FIare. D
A sudden eruption of energy on the solar dis, lasting minutes to hours,
from which radiation and particles are emitted.
FIux - Ony
"he rate of flow of a physical #uantitiy through a reference surface.
Foreshortening. D
"he fractional area of the solar *or a stellar+ dis, occupied by a circular
spot, such as a sunspot, varies as the star rotates because of
proAection onto the line of sight.
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G
Gamma - Faa
A unit of magnetic field intensity e#ual to 1 ; 10.0E0- gauss, also
e#ual to 1 nanotesla.
Gamma Rays Faa sau
Cigh energy radiation *energies in e;cess of 100 ,eE+ observed during
large, e;tremely energetic solar flares.
Gauss - Fay
"he unit of magnetic induction in the cgs *centimetergramsecond+
system.
Geomagnetic FieId Fa nn
"he magnetic field observed in and around the Earth. "he intensity of
the magnetic field at the EarthFs surface is appro;imately 0.() gauss at
the e#uator and 0.&) gauss at the north pole.
Geomagnetic Storm Faa ya
A worldwide disturbance of the EarthFs magnetic field, distinct from
regular diurnal variations.
Geocentric - Fua
?entered on the Earth.
Geosynchronous. D
"erm applied to any e#uatorial satellite with an orbital velocity e#ual to
the rotational velocity of the Earth. "he net effect is that the satellite is
virtually motionless with respect to an observer on the ground.
GMT B n Fu
5reenwich 6ean "ime. *See ?oordinated 7niversal "ime.+
GranuIation - Faynauja
?ellular structure of the solar photosphere visible at high spatial
resolution.
Green Line 3na nja
"he green line is one of the strongest *and firstrecognized+ visible
coronal lines. 4t identifies moderate temperature regions of the corona.
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H

H-aIpha. D
"his absorption line of neutral hydrogen falls in the red part of the
visible spectrum and is convenient for solar observations. "he Calpha
line is universally used for observations of solar flares.
HeIicity. D
"he helicity of an obAect is the measure of >twist> it has, such as the
degree of coiling of a magnetic field. A more mathematical description
of helicity.
HeIiocentric - Xnua
?entered on the Sun.
HeIiopause Xnnaysa ?
"he region in space where the SunFs atmosphere merges with
interstellar space. "he position of the heliopause depends both on the
strength of the solar wind and on the properties of the local interstellar
medium. Gote also that data from 7lysses during solar minimum have
shown that the solar wind from the SunFs poles has a higher speed
than the speed in the ecliptic, so then the heliopause should be further
from the Sun in the polar direction.
HeIioseismoIogy - Xnsnja
A method for studing the Sun by utilizing waves that propagate
throughout the star to measure its invisible internal structure and
dynamics.
HeIiosphere - Xnqa
"he region in space that e;tends to the heliopause. "he heliosphere is
the cavity around the Sun in the local interstellar medium that is
produced by the solar wind. "he heliosphere contains most of the solar
system, but not the most distant comets, such as in the Bort cloud.
High Frequency (HF) Ba Oquja
"hat portion of the radio fre#uency spectrum between between ( and
(0 6Cz.
High-Speed Stream Cyn a sa
A feature of the solar wind having velocities that are about double
average solar wind values.
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I
InterpIanetary Magnetic FieId (IMF) Hnnaa a nn
"he magnetic field carried with the solar wind. Bnce the solar wind has
passed the radius where its ,inetic energy density is e#ual to that of
the solar magnetic field, its particles will move out into the
interplanetary medium carrying the solar magnetic field with them.
.eyond that critical radius, the solar wind particles move in a straight
line with constant velocity to a good appro;imation, but because the
Sun is rotating and with it the footprints of the magnetic field lines, the
magnetic field ta,es up a spiral structure ,nown as an Archimedean
spiral.
InterpIanetary Medium Hnnaa py
"he material in between the planets in the solar system, including that
within the EarthFs radius and out to and beyond the outer planets. 4t
contains not only the smaller obAects in the solar system, such as
asteroids, comets, meteors, meteorites, but also a general
interplanetary dust and interplanetary plasma.
Ionosphere - Jqa
"he region of the EarthFs upper atmosphere containing a small
percentage of free electrons and ions produced by photoionization of
the constituents of the atmosphere by solar ultraviolet radiation at very
short wavelengths *less than 1000 angstroms+. "he ionosphere
significantly influences radiowave propagation of fre#uencies less than
about (0 6Cz.
K
K Corona. (from "Kontinuum") K Ka
Bf the white light corona *that is, the corona seen by the eye at a total
solar eclipse+, that portion which is caused by sunlight scattered by
protons and free electrons in the hot outer atmosphere of the Sun. "he
= corona e;tends out to about /00,000 ,m from the photosphere. "he
= ?oronaFs continuous spectrum resembles the photospheric
spectrum, but the 3raunhofer lines are absent.
KeIvin - Kn
A unit of absolute temperature.
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L
Leader Spot. D
4n a magnetically bipolar or multipolar sunspot group, the western part
precedes and the main spot in that part is called the leader.
Limb. D
"he edge of the solar dis,.
Limb Darkening.
"he visible dis, of the Sun does does not appear uniformly bright, with
the radiation from the edge or limb being less intense than that from
the center. "he radiation reaching the observer from the solar limb has
left the Sun at a large angle to the vertical. 0adiation moving in the
vertical direction is more intense than radiation moving at an angle to
the vertical and as a result, the edge of the dis, appears dar,er than
the center.
Limb FIare. D
A solar flare seen at the edge *limb+ of the Sun.
Low Frequency (LF) Ha qquja
"hat portion of the radio fre#uency spectrum from (0 to (00 ,Cz.
M
Magnetogram Maa
Solar magnetograms are a graphic representation of solar magnetic
field strengths and polarity.
Magnetopause Manaysa
"he boundary layer between the solar wind and the magnetosphere
.
Magnetosphere - Maqa
"he magnetic cavity surrounding the Earth, carved out of the passing
solar wind by virtue of the geomagnetic field, which prevents, or at
least impedes, the direct entry of the solar wind plasma into the cavity.
MeV Kaa sa Ma Enn
6ega *million+ electronvolt. A unit of energy used to describe the total
energy carried by a particle or photon.
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Medium Frequency. (MF) Cpa Oquja
"hat portion of the radio fre#uency spectrum from 0.( to ( 6Cz.
Mount WiIson Magnetic CIassifications May Bna aa
naqauja
Alpha. 1enotes a unipolar sunspot group.
.eta. A sunspot group having both positive and negative magnetic
polarities, with a simple and distinct division between
the polarities.
.eta5amma. A sunspot group that is bipolar but in which no
continuous line can be drawn separating spots of opposite
polarities.
1elta. A comple; magnetic configuration of a solar sunspot
group consisting of opposite polarity umbrae
within the same penumbra.
5amma. A comple; active region in which
the positive and negative polarities are so irregularly
distributed as to prevent classification as a bipolar group.
N
NanotesIa (nT) Hana
A unit of magnetism 10.0E0% tesla, e#uivalent to a gamma *10.0E0-
gauss+.
P
Penumbra.
"he sunspot area that may surround the dar,er umbra or umbrae. 4t
consists of linear bright and dar, elements radial from the sunspot
umbra.
Photosphere - Oqa
"he lowest layer of the solar atmosphereH corresponds to the solar
surface viewed in white light. Sunspots and faculae are observed in the
photosphere.
PIage. D
An e;tended emission feature of an active region that e;ists from the
emergence of the first magnetic flu; until the widely scattered remnant
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magnetic fields merge with the bac,ground. "his bright feature is found
in the vicinity of virtually all active sunspot groups and occurs on a
larger scale and are brighter than facula. Ilage is 3rench for >beach,>
because each plage loo,s li,e lightcolored sand against the dar,er
structures around them.
PIasma - Rnasa
Any ionized gas, that is, any gas containing ions and electrons.
Prominence.?
A term identifying cloudli,e features in the solar atmosphere. "he
features appear as bright structures in the corona above the solar limb
and as dar, filaments when seen proAected against the solar dis,.
R
Radio Emission Pap ja
Emissions of the Sun in radio wavelengths from centimeters to
de,ameters, under both #uiet and disturbed conditions.
Recurrence.
7sed especially in reference to the recurrence of physical parameters
every )/ days *the rotation period of the Sun+.
S
SoIar Coordinates Cna pa
?entral 6eridian 1istance *?61+. "he angular distance in solar
longitude measured from the central meridian.
SoIar CycIe Cna uny
"he appro;imately 11year #uasiperiodic variation in fre#uency or
number of solar active events.
SoIar Maximum Cna ay
"he month*s+ during the solar cycle when the 1)month mean of
monthly average sunspot numbers reaches a ma;imum. "he most
recent solar ma;imum occurred in 2uly 1%!%.
SoIar Minimum Cna y
"he month*s+ during the solar cycle when the 1)month mean of
monthly average sunspot numbers reaches a minimum. "he most
recent minimum occurred in Govember 1%%& *DD+.
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SoIar Rotation Rate Cnaa aua sa
"he rate at which the Sun rotates on its a;is. "he rotation rate varies
with latitude *called differential rotation+.
SoIar Wind Cna a
"he outward flu; of solar particles and magnetic fields from the Sun.
"he solar wind is produced primarily in the cooler regions of the
corona, ,nown as coronal holes, and flows along the open magnetic
field lines. "ypically, solar wind velocities are (00-00 ,m per second.
SpicuIes. D
Shortlived *lifetime from rising to falling is about 1- minutes+ Aets
vertical to the solar surface that are several thousand ,ilometers long
and about 1 ,ilometer thic,. "he birth rate is comparable to granules
and there are hundreds of thousands of spicules on the Sun.
J0eferenceK LirinK "he Solar AtmosphereM, pg. )1%, 1%&&.N
Sunspot Cu pa
An area seen as a dar, spot on the photosphere of the Sun. Sunspots
are concentrations of magnetic flu;, typically occurring in bipolar *i.e.
twopart with positive and negative poles li,e a magnet+ clusters or
groups. "hey appear dar, because they are cooler than the
surrounding photosphere.
Sunspot ButterfIy Diagram aa a u pa
"he pattern of sunspots that show a time distribution concentrated in
(- degree wide belts on each side of the solar e#uator. "he earlier
spots in the solar cycle appear at higher latitudes and the later spots in
the solar cycle emerge nearer to the e#uator.
Sunspot Group CIassification Fyna naqauja a Cu
pa
*6odified Lurich Sunspot ?lassification+.
A A small single unipolar sunspot or
very small group of spots without penumbra.
. .ipolar sunspot group with no penumbra.
? An elongated bipolar sunspot group. Bne sunspot must have
penumbra.
1 An elongated bipolar sunspot group with penumbra on both ends
of the group.
E An elongated bipolar sunspot group with penumbra on both
ends. @ongitudinal e;tent of penumbra e;ceeds 10 deg. but
not 1- deg.
3 An elongated bipolar sunspot group with penumbra on both
ends. @ongitudinal e;tent of penumbra e;ceeds 1- deg.
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C A unipolar sunspot group with penumbra.
Sunspot Number Bj a ua paa
A daily inde; of sunspot activity *0+, defined as 0 = , *10 g ' s+ where
S = number of individual spots, g = number of sunspot groups, and , is
an observatory factor.
SupergranuIation - Cynaynauja
A largescale convection pattern, characteristic size of about (0,000
,m *) 19) times the diameter of the Earth+ with a lifetime of about one
day.
Surge.
A Aet of material from active regions that reaches coronal heights and
then either fades or returns into the chromosphere along the traAectory
of ascent.
T
Transition Region Cu nj ry xqaa aa
"he trasition region is the very narrow region of the solar atmosphere
that separates the chromosphere and corona, where the temperature
rises sharply from )0,000 to nearly a million =elvin degrees.
U
U Burst ?
A fast radio burst spectrum of a flare. 4t has a 7shaped appearance in
an intensityvs.fre#uency plot.
UItra High Frequency (UHF) Yna a qquja
"hose radio fre#uencies e;ceeding (00 6Cz.
Umbra.
"he dar, core or cores *umbrae+ in a sunspot with penumbra, or a
sunspot lac,ing penumbra.
UniversaI Time (UT)
See ?oordinated 7niversal "ime.
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V
Very High Frequency (VHF) My a qquja
"hat portion of the radio fre#uency spectrum from (0 to (00 6Cz.

Very Low Frequency (VLF) My a qquja
"hat portion of the radio fre#uency spectrum from ( to (0 ,Cz.
W
White Light (WL) Bna na
Sunlight integrated over the visible portion of the spectrum *$000
/000 angstroms+ so that all colors are blended to appear white to the
eye.
WoIf Number Bnq j
An historic term for sunspot number. 4n 1!$%, 0. Oolf of Lurich
originated the general procedure for computing the sunspot number.
X
X-ray Burst Cn p X sau
A temporary enhancement of the Pray emission of the Sun. "he time
intensity profile of soft Pray bursts is similar to that of the Calpha
profile of an associated flare.
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