Abstract
A high resolution time series of pictures, obtained at Pic du Midi Observatory, is used to analyze the dynamical behavior of facular points in the quiet Sun. The following characteristics of the behavior are revealed: (a) relative to the supergranular pattern, facular points appear at the supergranular boundaries, rarely inside the cells; (b) relative to the pattern of the granulation, they appear in spaces at the junction of several granules, never inside a granule nor in a space between two granules only; (c) their mean lifetime is 18 min; (d) they remain in intergranular lanes during their whole life; (e) their observed size never significantly exceeds 0″. 5; (f) they have a strong tendency to appear very close to an already existing facular point; (g) about 15% of them seem to split in two facular points; (h) they disappear simply by fading away in an intergranular space; (i) they never merge with another facular point or with a granule.
The formation of facular points in the quiet photosphere is very closely connected to both granular and supergranular patterns. Some possible consequences on the behavior of the associated magnetic flux tubes are discussed.
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NAS/NRC Resident Research Associate on leave from Pic du Midi Observatory, France.
Sacramento Peak Observatory is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract AST78-17292 with the National Science Foundation.
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Muller, R. The dynamical behavior of facular points in the quiet photosphere. Sol Phys 85, 113–121 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00148262
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00148262