Another day at sea, and the air has cleared a bit, giving way to clearish skies, perfect for capturing the disc of the sun dipping into the horizon. As a result, please enjoy an image of sunspots, one version straight from the camera, the other viewed showing the mask of a sharpening algorithm, which illustrates quite plainly the locations of them on the surface of the sun. Sunspots can last for days or weeks (I believe), the larger of which can contribute to radio communications interference here on earth. Several years ago I experienced a significant solar radiation event while flying around Denver, and for a few days reaching hospitals on routinely-used VHF frequencies was marginal, at best.
Enjoy.
