Knowledge (XXG)

Supergranulation

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75:, but its origin is not precisely known. Although the presence of granules in the solar photosphere is a well-documented phenomenon, there is still much debate on the true nature or even the existence of higher-order granulation patterns. Some authors suggest the existence of three distinct scales of organization: granulation (with typical diameters of 150–2500 km), mesogranulation (5000–10000 km) and supergranulation (over 20000 km). Granules are typically considered as being signs of convective cells forming a hierarchic structure: supergranules would be thus fragmented in their uppermost layers into smaller mesogranules, which in turn would split into even smaller granules at their surface. The solar material would flow downward in dark "lanes" separating granules with the divisions between supergranules being the biggest concentrations of cold gas, analogous to rivers connecting smaller 755: 731: 20: 79:. It should however be stressed that this picture is highly speculative and might turn out to be false in the light of future discoveries. Recent studies show some evidence that mesogranulation was a ghost feature caused by averaging procedures. 63:). Later work (1960s) by Leighton, Noyes and Simon established a typical size of about 30000 km for supergranules with a lifetime of about 24 hours. 160: 261: 754: 796: 555: 241: 711: 716: 514: 176: 692: 148: 815: 387: 60: 789: 686: 529: 422: 212:
Michel Rieutord and François Rincon, "The Sun’s Supergranulation", Living Rev. Solar Phys. 7, (2010), 2.
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Supergranulation has long been interpreted as a specific convection
18: 59:(flow speed about 300 to 500 m/s, a tenth of that in the smaller 671: 223: 47:. The individual convection cells are typically referred to as 762: 250: 51:. The pattern was discovered in the 1950s by A.B. Hart using 219: 198:
a SOHO/MDI Dopplergram showing supergranular speed pattern
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velocity measurements showing horizontal flows on the
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Freedman, Roger A.; Kaufmann III, William J. (2008).
699: 685: 543: 505: 440: 378: 350: 312: 303: 270: 114:Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 790: 235: 8: 23:Supegranulation in the chromosphere of Sun. 797: 783: 309: 242: 228: 220: 125: 100: 16:Convective pattern on the Sun's surface 7: 751: 749: 769:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by 14: 177:"Living Reviews in Solar Physics" 753: 730: 729: 108:Hart, A. B. (1 February 1956). 1: 712:List of heliophysics missions 761:This article related to the 717:Category:Missions to the Sun 203:NASA: The Sun Does The Wave 837: 748: 725: 693:G-type main-sequence star 257: 216:(cited on June 15, 2010). 208:Information at Nature.com 149:W. H. Freeman and Company 556:In mythology and culture 423:Supra-arcade downflows 127:10.1093/mnras/116.1.38 24: 403:Coronal mass ejection 22: 667:Standard solar model 637:Solar radio emission 455:List of solar cycles 487:Magnetic switchback 677:Sunlight radiation 272:Internal structure 25: 778: 777: 743: 742: 707:Solar observatory 622:Solar observation 520:Termination shock 436: 435: 388:Transition region 162:978-0-7167-8584-2 147:. New York, USA: 828: 799: 792: 785: 757: 750: 733: 732: 322:Supergranulation 310: 244: 237: 230: 221: 185: 184: 173: 167: 166: 138: 132: 131: 129: 105: 41:convection cells 39:is a pattern of 37:supergranulation 836: 835: 831: 830: 829: 827: 826: 825: 816:Solar phenomena 806: 805: 804: 803: 746: 744: 739: 721: 695: 681: 647:Solar telescope 627:Solar phenomena 602:Solar astronomy 539: 501: 497:Helioseismology 432: 418:Helmet streamer 374: 346: 299: 295:Convection zone 266: 253: 248: 194: 189: 188: 175: 174: 170: 163: 140: 139: 135: 107: 106: 102: 97: 85: 69: 17: 12: 11: 5: 834: 832: 824: 823: 818: 808: 807: 802: 801: 794: 787: 779: 776: 775: 758: 741: 740: 738: 737: 726: 723: 722: 720: 719: 714: 709: 703: 701: 697: 696: 691: 689: 687:Spectral class 683: 682: 680: 679: 674: 669: 664: 659: 654: 649: 644: 639: 634: 629: 624: 619: 617:Solar neutrino 614: 609: 604: 599: 597:Solar activity 594: 592:Sun in fiction 589: 588: 587: 586: 585: 570: 565: 564: 563: 558: 547: 545: 541: 540: 538: 537: 532: 527: 522: 517: 511: 509: 503: 502: 500: 499: 494: 489: 484: 479: 474: 469: 464: 459: 458: 457: 446: 444: 438: 437: 434: 433: 431: 430: 428:Alfvén surface 425: 420: 415: 410: 405: 400: 395: 390: 384: 382: 376: 375: 373: 372: 367: 362: 356: 354: 348: 347: 345: 344: 339: 334: 329: 324: 318: 316: 307: 301: 300: 298: 297: 292: 287: 285:Radiation zone 282: 276: 274: 268: 267: 265: 264: 258: 255: 254: 249: 247: 246: 239: 232: 224: 218: 217: 214:online article 210: 205: 200: 193: 192:External links 190: 187: 186: 168: 161: 133: 99: 98: 96: 93: 92: 91: 84: 81: 68: 65: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 833: 822: 819: 817: 814: 813: 811: 800: 795: 793: 788: 786: 781: 780: 774: 772: 768: 764: 759: 756: 752: 747: 736: 728: 727: 724: 718: 715: 713: 710: 708: 705: 704: 702: 698: 694: 690: 688: 684: 678: 675: 673: 670: 668: 665: 663: 662:Space weather 660: 658: 657:Space climate 655: 653: 650: 648: 645: 643: 640: 638: 635: 633: 632:Solar physics 630: 628: 625: 623: 620: 618: 615: 613: 610: 608: 605: 603: 600: 598: 595: 593: 590: 584: 581: 580: 579: 576: 575: 574: 571: 569: 566: 562: 561:Lunar eclipse 559: 557: 554: 553: 552: 549: 548: 546: 542: 536: 533: 531: 528: 526: 523: 521: 518: 516: 515:Current sheet 513: 512: 510: 508: 504: 498: 495: 493: 490: 488: 485: 483: 480: 478: 475: 473: 472:Solar minimum 470: 468: 467:Solar maximum 465: 463: 462:Active region 460: 456: 453: 452: 451: 448: 447: 445: 443: 439: 429: 426: 424: 421: 419: 416: 414: 411: 409: 406: 404: 401: 399: 396: 394: 391: 389: 386: 385: 383: 381: 377: 371: 368: 366: 363: 361: 358: 357: 355: 353: 349: 343: 342:Ellerman bomb 340: 338: 335: 333: 330: 328: 325: 323: 320: 319: 317: 315: 311: 308: 306: 302: 296: 293: 291: 288: 286: 283: 281: 278: 277: 275: 273: 269: 263: 260: 259: 256: 252: 245: 240: 238: 233: 231: 226: 225: 222: 215: 211: 209: 206: 204: 201: 199: 196: 195: 191: 182: 178: 172: 169: 164: 158: 154: 150: 146: 145: 137: 134: 128: 123: 119: 115: 111: 104: 101: 94: 90: 87: 86: 82: 80: 78: 74: 66: 64: 62: 58: 54: 50: 49:supergranules 46: 43:in the Sun's 42: 38: 34: 30: 29:solar physics 21: 771:expanding it 760: 745: 642:Solar System 612:Solar energy 607:Solar dynamo 568:Heliophysics 398:Coronal loop 393:Coronal hole 370:Moreton wave 352:Chromosphere 321: 181:springer.com 180: 171: 143: 136: 120:(1): 38–55. 117: 113: 103: 70: 48: 36: 26: 700:Exploration 578:Solar deity 525:Heliosheath 507:Heliosphere 477:Wolf number 450:Solar cycle 314:Photosphere 151:. pp.  89:Dopplergram 77:tributaries 57:photosphere 45:photosphere 33:observation 810:Categories 652:Solar time 573:In culture 530:Heliopause 482:Solar wind 413:Prominence 305:Atmosphere 290:Tachocline 95:References 821:Sun stubs 535:Bow shock 442:Variation 408:Nanoflare 735:Category 144:Universe 83:See also 61:granules 551:Eclipse 544:Related 365:Spicule 337:Sunspot 332:Faculae 327:Granule 251:The Sun 53:Doppler 380:Corona 159:  67:Origin 765:is a 492:Flare 360:Plage 73:scale 767:stub 672:Star 583:List 280:Core 262:List 157:ISBN 31:and 763:Sun 153:762 122:doi 118:116 27:In 812:: 179:. 155:. 116:. 112:. 35:, 798:e 791:t 784:v 773:. 243:e 236:t 229:v 183:. 165:. 130:. 124::

Index


solar physics
observation
convection cells
photosphere
Doppler
photosphere
granules
scale
tributaries
Dopplergram
"Motions in the Sun at the Photospheric Level: VI. Large-Scale Motions in the Equatorial Region"
doi
10.1093/mnras/116.1.38
Universe
W. H. Freeman and Company
762
ISBN
978-0-7167-8584-2
"Living Reviews in Solar Physics"
a SOHO/MDI Dopplergram showing supergranular speed pattern
NASA: The Sun Does The Wave
Information at Nature.com
online article
v
t
e
The Sun
List
Internal structure

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