NASA SDO - Spiraling Active Region in Profile

Spiraling Active Region in Profile

Cascades of spiraling magnetic loops observed in extreme ultraviolet light by SDO danced and twisted above an active region on the Sun (April 3-5, 2011). These loops are charged particles spinning along the magnetic field lines, and thus visually revealing them. The bright active region was fairly strong and the activity persistent, though not explosive. At one point darker plasma can be seen being pulled back and forth across the region's center.

Credit: NASA SDO

• Category

  Science & Technology

[twosixteen]

That's what makes it's wonderful. We live. We live still!

[roschler]

Awesome video. Humbling to think we live on a big spinning core of molten lava being warmed by a huge flaming ball of matter with quasi-stable convection currents, occasionally throwing off giant wisps of radiation, gas, and electromagnetic waves, with only a thin layer of air and a relatively weak magnetic field to protect us, as long as we are not hit by an asteroid of significant size (assuming we can't find Bruce Willis at the time). Feeling safe now? :)

[Fabius Meneghella]

It's fantastic!

[MinderaBMW]

totaly shit!

[фывфыфыв фывфыыфвфвы]

hell

[BHFanaticos014]

This is hell

;)

[solarx4]

wow. violent. i just came in from basking in it's warm golden glory. this reminds me it's not so warm and comforting up close. thank goodness for the 150 mil km separating us from... that.

[Gabriel Rodrigues]

Ki legal!

[Peter Wilson]

Thank you Sun for giving us life...

[Demian602]

beautiful