look at solar activity

[JimT]

I was looking at current "solar activity", I am surprised by the image next to the image labeled: "sunspot regions", the one labeled "solar flares".  I mean the image labeled AIA 131 SDO.  To me, when you look at the activity on the image, it would seem to me that you would see a sunspot group on the image underneath "sunspot regions"...?   Is this unusual?  Is it a sign that the suns magnetic field might be very weak and magnetic lines of force cannot penetrate the photosphere?

Or is this a more common feature than I think it is?

Thanks,

JimT

[Vancanneyt Sander]

When looking at the AIA imagery you would have the idea that there would be a sunspot region but the only thing that's there are the so called Faculae:

This is a photospheric feature of the Sun and these also have magnetic field lines just like sunspots have and thus on the AIA imagery you'll see those field lines just like it was a sunspot region. Where a sunspot is cooler and makes the sun darker on those places, faculae works a bit the opposite where it makes the sun on that place a bit brighter. These faculae are best viewed in H-alpha imagery because they don't show up much on visible light. 

[JimT]

Thank you very much.  I was baffled by this, and I appreciate the explanation.

JimT