solar observation Solar observation is the scientific endeavor of studying the Sun and its behavior and relation to the Earth and the remainder of the Solar System. Deliberate solar observation began thousands of years ago. That initial era of direct observation g ...

, a magnetogram is a pictorial representation of the spatial variations in strength of the solar magnetic field. Solar magnetograms are produced by solar magnetographs. Some magnetographs only measure the absolute value of the magnetic field strength while others are capable of measuring the 3-dimensional magnetic field. The latter are referred to as '' vector magnetographs''. These measurements are made by exploiting the

Zeeman effect The Zeeman effect () is the splitting of a spectral line into several components in the presence of a static magnetic field. It is caused by the interaction of the magnetic field with the magnetic moment of the atomic electron associated with ...

or, less frequently, the Hanle effect. The first magnetograph was constructed by

George Ellery Hale George Ellery Hale (June 29, 1868 – February 21, 1938) was an American astrophysicist, best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots, and as the leader or key figure in the planning or construction of several world-leading ...

in 1908.

References

Magnetic devices {{Sun-stub