I really love those moments when I see an image that makes me double take and say out loud “Oh wow”. This image caused one of those moments. This photograph is a beautiful beautiful capture of a sunrise over the Basilica di Superga, near Turin, by sky photographer Stefano De Rosa. I wish any of my own photographs looked this good! The image is beautiful enough on it’s own, but there’s reason to look a little closer…

(click to enormify!)

You see that spot there on the Sun? Well, as it happens, that is actually a spot on the Sun. That’s a cluster of sunspots known as Active Region 1476. A patch of magnetic activity on the Sun’s photosphere, larger than our entire planet, blasting radio waves out into the heliosphere. Here’s a close-up image of AR 1476. After looking at these two images, frankly I feel slightly insignificant now…

A tip of the hat goes to Camilla Corona SDO (yes, my source is a rubber chicken).

Also, if you like beautiful photography, you really should take some time to look at Stefano De Rosa’s blog and gallery. It’s wonderful!