Showing posts with label solar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar. Show all posts
Friday, 31 October 2014
NASA catches the sun celebrating Halloween
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured quite a photo of the sun on October 8.
In the photo, hotspots of magnetic fields on the sun form what can appear to look like eyes, a nose and a grin reminiscent of a Jack-O-Lantern.
The image is a composite of two photos taken in ultraviolet light. The magnetic activity in the corona, or sun's atmosphere, is what creates the pattern.
The SDO, launch in 2010, monitors the sun's activity to provide accurate space weather forecasts, including to provide warning when solar flares may threaten the Earth.
Labels:
astronomy,
cosmos,
halloween,
jack,
jack-O-lantern,
lantern,
nasa,
science,
solar,
solar system,
space,
sun,
universe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)