Tangled Up in Blue

Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory

The lone active region visible on our Sun put on a fine display with its tangled magnetic field lines swaying and twisting above it (Apr. 24-26, 2018) when viewed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. The charged particles spinning along these field lines illuminate them. The region did not erupt with any significant solar storms, although it still might.

Source / Image Courtesy

Thanks to NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, we can now see incredibly detailed views of the suns surface.

We are able to witness solar flares, CMEs, coronal rain like never before. This is a series of videos - timelapses created from thousands of images taken by SDO and compiled into stunning video.

Arches of magnetic field lines towered over the sun’s edge as a pair of active regions began to rotate into view in this video captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 5-6, 2016. Active regions are areas of very concentrated magnetic field. Charged particles spiraling along these magnetic fields emit extreme ultraviolet light, which is typically not visible to our eyes, but colorized here in gold. The light given off from the particles helps trace out the magnetic field lines, which are otherwise invisible.

Scientists use images such as this to observe how magnetic fields move around the sun and learn more about what causes active regions.

Dragon wrote:

Thanks to NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, we can now see incredibly detailed views of the suns surface.

We are able to witness solar flares, CMEs, coronal rain like never before. This is a series of videos - timelapses created from thousands of images taken by SDO and compiled into stunning video.

That's amazing, thanks for sharing. Danny will like seeing this