High-Resolution Observations of Emerging Magnetic Fields and Flux Tubes in Active Region Photosphere

Abstract

On 29 September 1988, filtergrams of the solar photosphere with excellent resolution (0.3 to 0.5 arcsecond) were obtained at the Swedish Solar Observatory on La Palma, Canary Islands. An outstanding 2.5 hour run of digital filtergram observations was obtained, looking at a small area within an active region near disk center. On 6 August 1987, an 80 minute run of similar observations was obtained at the Vacuum Tower Telescope of the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak. Digital and video movies have been made of Dopplergrams, magnetograms, line center, continuum, and white light images. Several examples of magnetic field emergence and formation of flux tubes can be studied in detail in the movies. The relationship between photospheric bright points, “filigree”, the line center brightness, and the magnetic field has been established for individual images in analysis to date.