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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Energy Transport Below Sunspots and Faculae

Sunspots and faculae were modeled using a modified stellar envelope code. Downflow velocities of 50 m/sec can achieve a 1,000 K drop in the surface temperature of the photosphere and reduce the surface irradiance to half its value. Concurrently, a 600 km Wilson depression forms that is associated with the enhanced density of the cooler gases. Similar upflow velocities provide for slightly enhanced temperatures and 150 km uplifted surfaces for faculae. The calculations show that, to first approximation, sunspot and facular structures (in density, temperature and pressure) can be obtained by simply vertically shifting the undisturbed photospheric materials to form wells and hillock geometries, respectively. However, the chromospheric manifestations of these features can be quite different owing to the influence of the magnetic field and flow.

Schatten, Kenneth H.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Facula structure

Facula structure and contrast in solar atmosphere

Livshits, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Faculae and the '25-day' solar fluctuation

The evidence presented suggests that the 25-d period of the fluctuation is caused, inadvertently, by the irregular nature of the observing pattern. The effects of irregular sampling as against regular sampling of the facular signal are compared in order to show that the characteristics of Dicke's (1972) fluctuations can be caused by the observing pattern provided that faculae are an important source of the excess solar oblateness.

Chapman, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Polar faculae during the interval 1906-1975

The previous studies by the author (1964, 1966), in which the numbers of faculas at the poles of the sun were used to estimate the strengths of the polar magnetic fields from 1906-1964, have been extended to the period 1964-1975 with the help of space-based observations of the sun and its environment. A rapid increase in the strength of the field at the south pole was observed in 1973 during the Skylab mission; a gradual increase in the north pole field occurred during 1972 and 1973. With the exception of a brief interval in 1959, the south pole field has been weaker during the past magnetic cycle than in any cycle since 1906.

Sheeley, N. R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1979

New models of solar faculae

A new semiempirical model of photospheric faculae is presented in tabular form. The magnetic field is estimated from horizontal pressure equilibrium without tension forces. The geometry of the flux tube is determined from this estimated magnetic field and an assumed flux of 4.4 x 10 to the 17th gauss sq cm. The model is discussed in relation to recent observations.

Chapman, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Detection of a temperature deficit in magnetic faculae at the solar photosphere

A photometric technique is presented which allows the observation of faculae across the entire solar disk. A clean continuum was used and granular noise was reduced by subtracting simultaneous spectroheliograms taken at widely separated points of the photospheric radiation curve. Spectroheliographic observations taken from March 12-14, 1980, using two color-scans in the green at gamma 4980.96 and gamma 5256.31 in the fourth order resulted in observation of clean continua in the red at gamma 6641.85 and gamma 7008.8 in another slot of the magnetograph. Approximately 20 raster scans were obtained and indications were found that dark magnetic facular structures in the Delta signal were cooler than the photosphere at equal optical continuum depths

Foukal, P.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Contribution functions for Zeeman-split lines, and line formation in photospheric faculae

The transfer of polarized light in an inhomogeneous stellar atmosphere, and the formation of magnetically sensitive spectral lines, are discussed. A new method for the solution of the transfer equations is proposed. The method gives a natural definition of the contribution functions for Stokes' parameters, i.e., functions describing the contributions from different parts along the line-of-sight (LOS). The formalism includes all magneto-optical effects, and allows for an arbitrary variation of magnetic field, velocity field, temperature, density, etc., along the LOS. The formation of FeI lambda 5250.2 in photospheric faculae is described. A potential-field model of a facular element is presented, and spectra profiles and contribution functions are computed for the Stokes parameters I, Q, and V.

Vanballegooijen, A. A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Buto Facula, Ganymede: Palimpsest Exemplar

The Galilean satellites with icy surfaces (Europa, Ganymede, Callisto) are host, among other things, to a variety of large impact features that are, if not unique to these bodies, rarely encountered on planetary and satellite surfaces in the Solar System. These features include impact basins with central pits, domed floors, and so-called "pene-palimpsests" and "palimpsests". The authors have conducted a multidisciplinary approach to study how these features formed. It is likely that the particular combination of geophysical factors and impactor characteristics that is shared by these satellites is responsible for these features. One component of this study has been to derive the topography of a number of these features, and then use these Digital Terrain Models (DTM) as a fundamental tool in producing facies maps of a range of these features for which adequate data exist. Here we present the analysis of Buto Facula, Ganymede.

Jeffrey Morgan Moore↗
NASA NTRS1990

A Solar Constant Model for Sun-climate Studies: 1600-2000AD

Discussed here is the solar constant model published recently (Schatten, 1988), but with a modified phasing and amplitude. This model enables the known solar constant variations to be calculated from known active region and quiet region solar parameters. The features which can be modelled are sunspots and faculae, the only two features which mark the photospheric continuum with their unusual contrast behavior. They include both the active region features (sunspots and faculae) and the quiet region features (global faculae). Although the direct influences of sunspots upon the solar constant leads to short term decreases, an opposite, nearly in phase, 11 year variation in the solar constant is modelled, thereby agreeing with the Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor (ACRIM) and Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) secular trends observed. This opposite behavior results primarily from global faculae (polar, network, and active region). The main contributors to the global behavior are the network faculae. The model attributes the observed variations in the solar constant entirely to magnetic features in the solar atmosphere. The present model serves purely to model the secular (long term) trend in the solar constant. The model suggests a change of approx. 0.5 W/sq m for the differences between the late twentieth century solar constant and the 17th century solar constant. This supports Eddy's view that this difference could give rise to the glacial increase during the little ice age of the 17th century. Important for present day climate studies, is that it shows the recent peak activity (peaking in 1958) is associated with an atypically high value of the solar constant, with respect to the past few hundred years.

Schatten, Kenneth H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The effect of magnetic fields on solar luminosity

The paper presents an investigation into the influence of magnetic fields in sunspots and faculae on solar luminosity, using measurements of the solar constant from ground level and from space. Attention is given to an analysis that shows that it is difficult to devise an atmospheric mechanism that would rapidly lower visible and infrared transmission in response to sunspots, increase it in response to faculae, and anticipate the magnetic development of these features by about one day. It is shown that the phase shift of the luminosity variation provides a promising new technique to determine the depth at which the magnetic fields of sunspots and faculae redistribute the flow of convective energy.

Foukal, P.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Variations in the solar constant due to solar active regions

Solar activity is expected to affect the solar constant at some level. Recent observations and data analysis show the amount of variation to be expected for active regions, faculae, and sunspots on the apparent solar brightness. It is concluded that the maximum effect is about 20 times greater for sunspots than for faculae per unit area. Because facular areas are 25-30 times those for sunspots, the effect on the solar constant of faculae and sunspots is approximately equal and opposite, being typically in the neighborhood of 40-100 parts per million (ppm), but on occasion able to reach over 200 ppm. The issue of energy balance is not discussed here, for it requires further data analysis as well as information on the facular and sunspot limb darkening.

Chapman, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Facular influences on the apparent solar shape

The problem of the influence of faculae on apparent solar shape is examined in light of general facular contrast models. The diagonal components of the oblateness signal from the faculae observed are calculated, and it is found that the faculae can contribute a signal whose time dependence is similar to that of the Dicke and Goldenberg (1967) oblateness signal, allowing an acceptable fit to the oblateness measurements for a facular contrast within the range of acceptable values.

Schatten, K. H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Facular Limb-darkening Functions for Irradiance Modeling

The limb darkening function of faculae is an important factor in estimating facular contributions to solar irradiance variations. The existing photometric data is reviewed and a synthetic limb darkening function for faculae was generated which was compared with the limb darkening functions currently in use for irradiance modeling. The excess facular flux ranges from 0.017 to 0.0349 of the solar photospheric flux for the various representations. The present limitation appears to be the lack of comprehensive photometric data. The representations are especially varied near the limb, where photometry is most difficult. Synoptic data on calcium plage areas is used as a substitute for facular areas in modeling. Based upon the existing data, the present best value for the effect of faculae on the solar constant is given by delta s/s = 3.9 x 10(-8) A (sub plage prime) for an active region near disk center, where A (sub plage) is the calcium plage area in millionths of a solar hemisphere.

Hirayama, T.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Impact-driven mobilization of deep crustal brines on dwarf planet Ceres

Ceres, the only dwarf planet in the inner Solar System, appears to be a relict ocean world. Data collected by NASA's Dawn spacecraft provided evidence that global aqueous alteration within Ceres resulted in a chemically evolved body that remains volatile-rich(1). Recent emplacement of bright deposits sourced from brines attests to Ceres being a persistently geologically active world(2,3), but the surprising longevity of this activity at the 92-km Occator crater has yet to be explained. Here, we use new high-resolution Dawn gravity data to study the subsurface architecture of the region surrounding Occator crater, which hosts extensive young bright carbonate deposits (faculae). Gravity data and thermal modelling imply an extensive deep brine reservoir beneath Occator, which we argue could have been mobilized by the heating and deep fracturing associated with the Occator impact, leading to long-lived extrusion of brines and formation of the faculae. Moreover, we find that pre-existing tectonic cracks may provide pathways for deep brines to migrate within the crust, extending the regions affected by impacts and creating compositional heterogeneity. The long-lived hydrological system resulting from the impact might also occur for large impacts in icy moons, with implications for creation of transient habitable niches over time.High-resolution data of Ceres's bright spots (faculae), obtained by Dawn's second extended mission, suggest the existence of a deep brine-rich reservoir that emerged to the surface through long-lived cryovolcanic activity as a consequence of the impact that created Occator crater.

C. A. Raymond↗
NASA NTRS1971

Using CN 3883-A spectroheliograms to map weak photospheric magnetic fields.

By photographically averaging time sequences of high-resolution CN 3883-A spectroheliograms, the noise level due to the rapidly fluctuating intensity of the solar background has been reduced significantly. Very faint faculae that are lost in the noise on a single frame are easily visible on such an enhanced picture. A comparison between these enhanced spectroheliograms and a photoelectric magnetogram suggests that the brightness-magnetic field correlation extends to much weaker field strengths and fainter faculae than can be detected on a single, high quality CN spectroheliogram.

Sheeley, N. R., Jr.↗