                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 July 30
     A deep red sun shows several sunspots. Clouds and haze are visible.

                       Red Sun through Wildfire Smoke
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Debra Ceravolo
             Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II)

   Explanation: This could be the view from an exoplanet orbiting around a
   red dwarf star, but it is our own Sun. This image was taken on July 22,
   2026, in the Okanagan region in the Canadian province of British
   Columbia. Wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest acted as a solar
   filter, allowing the photographer to take this photo of the Sun
   directly. Several sunspots are also visible in this eerie image; just
   below and right of the center is AR 4493, a fast evolving, giant active
   solar region and sunspot group. The smoke is made of tiny particles
   that help block and scatter light with bluer colors, so the light we
   see coming from the Sun is dimmer and redder than usual (but it is
   never safe to stare directly at the Sun). Sunsets and sunrises are also
   more colorful because of the smoke. Some 6 billion years from now, the
   Sun will actually start to turn redder as it approaches its red giant
   phase.

                      Tomorrow's picture: What's next?
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

