The sun is in solar max making observation critical for data. The solar surface appears different depending upon the layer the observer wants to study. Different wavelengths penetrate various layers of the surface which give the photos a different appearance. Each feature on the solar suface is also emitting at different wavelengths causing the sun's surface to appear different depending upon the filter used. The corona photographs illustrate how the filters block other energy levels of light except for the one being studied Dr. Reginald Dufour and Dr. Pat Reiff describe the solar surface more in depth than an ordinary textbook.
Sunspots originate in the photoshere and migrate toward the equator.
This is caused by the greater rotational speed in the interior of the sun. The solar cycle can be viewed by watching the occurrence of sunspots. The number of sunspots change over a period of 11 years but a complete solar cycle would take approximately 22 years which is due to the change in polarity every 11 years at the poles. Filaments, and Plages and flares can been seen in the same area as the sunspots . Auroras are formed from solar wind reacting with the earth's atmosphere.