The narrowband hydrogen-alpha filter used to take this image of the Sun enables us to peer into the chromosphere, the lower region of the solar atmosphere. This image has been inverted, a technique used to create contrast and highlight subtle features.

Flame-like prominences, made of huge arcs of plasma, can be seen erupting out from the chromosphere. They extend for thousands of miles and can last for months at a time.

When prominences are seen against the bright disc of the Sun they appear as snaking lines known as filaments. They sometimes have a bushy appearance and can be tracked across the face of the Sun as it rotates.

Sunspots are planet sized regions characterised in inverted images by a bright central core, known as the umbra, and a darker outer section, known as the penumbra. They are caused by disturbances in the Sun's magnetic field and are cooler than their surroundings.

Close to sunspots you can often find plages. These are areas of higher temperature, appearing dark in inverted images, that can be found in active regions.