Our Sun changes every day. This recent picture was taken in a very specific red color called Hydrogen-Alpha . Dark spots that might appear on the image are usually sunspots , dark magnetic depressions that are slightly cooler than the rest of the Sun's surface. Bright spots that might appear are usually plages , active regions that are slightly hotter than the rest of the Sun's surface. The Sun usually goes through a maximum and minimum every 11 years.
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