Solar Activity and Flare Phenomena

Images of the Sun showcasing dynamic solar flares, plasma arcs, and coronal holes, highlighted in vibrant hues of orange and yellow. Observed in extreme ultraviolet light.

Satellite view of solar flares
Satellite view of solar flares
108 assets in this story
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Arcs of solar plasma twist over the Sun near a bright area of sunspot activity, as seen by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)'s Behind spacecraft in extreme ultraviolet at 304 Angstroms.
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A single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, rose up from the Sun, twisted and spun around, all the while spewing streams of particles for over two days (Aug. 17-19, 2015) before breaking apart. At times, its shape resembled the Eiffel Tower. Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well. The action was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.
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An active region that was rotating out of view off the sun's western limb, displayed a dazzling variety of dozens of spurts and eruptions in about 2.5 days (Apr. 19-21, 2014). The frames, taken in extreme ultraviolet light, show ionized Helium not far above the Sun's surface. All of the activity near this region was caused by intense magnetic forces in a powerful struggling with each other.
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The dark coronal hole in the Sun's lower region is a 'open' magnetic area through which the solar wind follows, seen in this view from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)'s Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) 284 Angstrom instrument.
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SDO View of M7.3 Class Solar Flare on Oct. 2, 2014 NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of an M7.3 class solar flare on Oct. 2, 2014. The solar flare is the bright flash of light on the right limb of the sun. A burst of solar material erupting out into space can be seen just below it.
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Caption: A burst of solar material leaps off the left side of the sun in whats known as a prominence eruption. This image combines three images from NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured on May 3, 2013, at 1:45 pm EDT, just as an M-class solar flare from the same region was subsiding. The images include light from the 131, 171 and 304 Angstrom wavelengths.
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The EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) 304 Angstrom instrument is (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) SOHO's best at capturing prominence images. This prominence is unusual in its twisted net-like shape.
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Solar prominences seen on the limb of the Sun by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)'s Ahead spacecraft in extreme ultraviolet at 304 Angstroms.
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An active region that had just rotated into view blasted out a coronal mass ejection, which was immediately followed by a bright series of post-coronal loops seeking to reorganize that region's magnetic field (April 19, 2017). We have observed this phenomenon numerous times, but this one was one of the longest and clearest sequences we have seen in years. The bright loops are actually charged particles spinning along the magnetic field lines. The action was captured in a combination of two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light over a period of about 20 hours. Movies are available at
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Satellite view of solar flares
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NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured these images of a solar flare on Oct. 2, 2014. The solar flare is the bright flash of light on the right limb of the sun. A burst of solar material erupting out into space can be seen just below it. Read more a href= http //1.usa.gov/1mW8rel rel= nofollow 1.usa.gov/1mW8rel /a
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The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 8 27 p.m. EDT on April 24, 2014. Images of the flare were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. To see how this event may impact Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at a href= http //spaceweather.gov rel= nofollow spaceweather.gov /a , the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings. This flare is classified as an X1.4 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.
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Sun Flares
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NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) satellites have provided the first three-dimensional images of the Sun. The structure of the corona shows well in this image. 3D glasses are necessary to view this image.
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NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of Earth and the moon transiting the sun together on Sept. 13, 2015. The edge of Earth, visible near the top of the frame, appears fuzzy because Earths atmosphere blocks different amounts of light at different altitudes. On the left, the moons edge is perfectly crisp, because it has no atmosphere. This image was taken in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths of 171 angstroms. Though this light is invisible to our eyes, it is typically colorized in gold.
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The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 12 22 p.m. EDT on March 11, 2015. NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This flare is classified as an X2.2-class flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.
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A sheet of plasma blasted out into space from just behind the edge of the sun (July 28, 2017). While some material escaped into space, a portion of it was unable to break the pull of gravity and the magnetic forces nearby and can be seen falling back to the sun. The 3.5 hours of action was captured in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.
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. A First for NASA's IRIS Observing a Gigantic Eruption of Solar Material
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. Amazing Hi-Def CME
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Caption This image from June 20, 2013, at 11 15 p.m. EDT shows the bright light of a solar flare on the left side of the sun and an eruption of solar material shooting through the suns atmosphere, called a prominence eruption. Shortly thereafter, this same region of the sun sent a coronal mass ejection out into space. --- On June 20, 2013, at 11 24 p.m., the sun erupted with an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection or CME, a solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of particles into space that can reach Earth one to three days later. These particles cannot travel through the atmosphere to harm humans on Earth, but they can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. Experimental NASA research models, based on observations from NASAs Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory and ESA/NASAs Solar and Heliospheric Observatory show that the CME left the sun at speeds of around 1350 miles per second, which is a fast speed for CMEs. Earth-directed CMEs can cause a space
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This EIT 171 image shows a wide variety of loops and active regions (lighter areas on the surface). Taken on November 9, 1998. The 171 filter shows emission from 8 and 9 times ionized iron at about 1 million degrees C.
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Loops of hot plasma in this multiple image show where a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) has left the Sun. Solar physicists believe such loops are the signature of 'magnetic reconnection,' which accelerates charged particles in the coronal plasma to energies well above that of the already hot, coronal gas.
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The sun emitted a solar flare on Dec. 4, 2014, seen as the flash of light in this image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The image blends two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light - 131 and 171 Angstroms - which are typically colored in teal and gold, respectively. Read more a href= http //1.usa.gov/121n7PP rel= nofollow 1.usa.gov/121n7PP /a
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The large sunspot (called AR2665) that rotated out of view about two weeks ago has returned (Aug. 1-2, 2017). Though much reduced in size, it did blast a good-sized coronal mass ejection about a week ago on the far side of the sun. Sunspots can last from days to months, so for it to return again is not an unusual event. Movies are available at
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The dark coronal hole in the Sun is a 'open' magnetic area through which the solar wind follows, seen in this view from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)'s Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) 284 Angstrom instrument.
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Strands of solar material at the sun's edge shifted and twisted back and forth over a 22-hour period in this footage captured May 2-3, 2017, by NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory. In this close-up, the strands are being manipulated by strong magnetic forces associated with active regions. To give a sense of scale, the strands that hover above the sun are more than several times the size of Earth. These images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, which is typically invisible to our eyes, but was colorized here in red. a href=
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A pair of active regions seen in extreme ultraviolet light (ionized helium at 304 angstroms) sputtered and blossomed over a two day period, 26-28 November 2002. The region on the left blasts out particles in narrow spurts at least nine times; the one on the right lets loose one larger blast near the end of the sequence. In the meantime, giant loops of particles that follow magnetic field lines arc out and back, seeming to dance above of the Sun's surface.
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Full disk view of a filament launch in the SDO AIA 304 band.
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A single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, rose up from the Sun, twisted and spun around, all the while spewing streams of particles for over two days (Aug. 17-19, 2015) before breaking apart. At times, its shape resembled the Eiffel Tower. Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well. The action was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.
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A detail view of a filament launch in the SDO AIA 304 band.
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A solar prominence at the sun's edge put on quite a display of plasma being pushed and pulled by unstable magnetic fields (May 22-24, 2017). We call them hedgerow prominences because they look somewhat like a hedge of bushes. This is one of the better examples of this type of solar phenomenon than any we have seen in quite some time. Movies are available at
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The magnetic field lines between a pair of active regions formed a beautiful set of swaying arches, seen in this footage captured by NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 24-26, 2017. The arches are traced out by charged particles spinning along the magnetic field lines. These arches, which form a connection between regions of opposite magnetic polarity, are visible in exquisite detail in this wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Extreme ultraviolet light is typically invisible to our eyes, but is colorized here in gold. Read more a href=
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Image of the sun, the largest star in our solar system.
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Helle Sonne brennt mit Plasma und Fackeln im Raum. Sonneneruptionsplatz und magnetische Stürme, Konzept *** bright Sun burns with Plasma and Torches at Room Solar flare site and Magnetic Storms, Concept 1102805089
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The most distinctive feature on the Sun this week was a good-sized coronal hole at a slanted angle nearly centered on the face of the sun (Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2018). Coronal holes are magnetically open areas from which solar wind particles speed into space. They appear darker in this wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. If these particles impact Earth's magnetosphere, they will likely generate aurora near the Earth's poles regions. The video clip covers about two days of activity. Movies available at
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A small comet was streaking towards the Sun when the Sun blew out a "halo" coronal mass ejection (CME) Aug. 19-20, 2013). The CME originated from the far side of the Sun and did not have any interaction with the comet. The comet, only perhaps 30 meters across, was not seen after it went out of view, likely disintegrated by the heat and radiation from the Sun. We call this a "full halo" CME since the front edge of the CME is expanding in all directions around the Sun like a halo. The images were taken by SOHO's coronagraphs in which a disk (red) blocks the Sun and some of the area around it so we can see faint structures beyond that. Here we superimposed the Sun from NASA's SDO. The movie covers about five hours of activity and can be seen here a href= http //www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/9601034896/ www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/9601034896/ /a
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NASA image captured June 6, 2012. On June 5-6 2012, SDO is collecting images of one of the rarest predictable solar events the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. This event happens in pairs eight years apart that are separated from each other by 105 or 121 years. The last transit was in 2004 and the next will not happen until 2117. i
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An image of the Sun taken by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) at 171 angstroms shows solar storms and other activity.
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Photo of the sun in space. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.
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On Oct. 7, 2010, NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, observed its first lunar transit when the new moon passed directly between the spacecraft (in its geosynchronous orbit) and the sun. With SDO watching the sun in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, the dark moon created a partial eclipse of the sun.
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Over the course of just one day a tiny active region grew to became almost as large as its many-days-old neighbor (Aug. 23-24, 2018). Active regions, which are areas of intense magnetism, appear brighter in wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light and are often the source of solar storms. Movies are available at
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NASA's Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope aboard ESAs SOHO spacecraft took this image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence in 1999. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona.
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Spring eclipse as viewed from the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Unlike the crisp shadow one sees on the sun during a lunar eclipse, Earth's shadow has a variegated edge due to its atmosphere, which blocks the sunlight to different degrees depending on its density. Also, light from brighter spots on the sun may make it through, which is why some solar features extend low into Earth's shadow.
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. A First for NASA's IRIS Observing a Gigantic Eruption of Solar Material
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The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft Behind took this image of loops of plasma following magnetic lines on the Sun using its Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUVI) at a wavelength of 171 Angstroms.
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Sun Flares
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A line of loop-producing regions line up on the Sun. The bright area on the left was the site of a large solar flare and coronal mass ejection. The image was taken by a Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft in extreme ultraviolet at 171 angstroms.
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red dwarf star sun close up space view, 3d render
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2012 Transit of Venus moving across the face of the Sun.
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Scientists have developed a way to produce models of where the magnetic field lines are several times each day. Here we have created a time-lapse version of these models over four days (2-3 each day) to give you a peek at how these change over time. The spiraling arcs of magnetic field lines emerge from active regions and connect back to areas with the opposite polarity. The field lines are more concentrated where regions are more magnetically intense. And of course, they rotate with the rotation of the Sun.
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Image of the sun, the largest star in our solar system.
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NASA image captured Feb. 24, 2011 To see an image showing the size of the prominence in comparison to the b a href= http //www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5492781335/ size of earth click here. /a /b To view a video of this event go to a href= http //www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5483193591 www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5483193591 /a When a rather large-sized (M 3.6 class) flare occurred near the edge of the Sun, it blew out a gorgeous, waving mass of erupting plasma that swirled and twisted over a 90-minute period (Feb. 24, 2011). This event was captured in extreme ultraviolet light by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft . Some of the material blew out into space and other portions fell back to the surface. Because SDO images are super-HD, we can zoom in on the action and still see exquisite details. And using a cadence of a frame taken every 24 seconds, the sense of motion is, by all appearances, seamless. Sit back and enjoy the jaw-dropping solar show.
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NASA image captured October 7, 2010 View a video of this event here a href= http //www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5099028189 www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5099028189 /a This was a first for SDO and it was visually engaging too. On October 7, 2010, SDO observed its first lunar transit when the new Moon passed directly between the spacecraft (in its geosynchronous orbit) and the Sun. With SDO watching the Sun in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light, the dark Moon created a partial eclipse of the Sun. These images, while unusual and cool to see, have practical value to the SDO science team. Karel Schrijver of Lockheed-Martin's Solar and Astrophysics Lab explains "The very sharp edge of the lunar limb allows us to measure the in-orbit characteristics of the telescope e.g., light diffraction on optics and filter support grids. Once these are characterized, we can use that information to correct our data for instrumental effects and sharpen up the images to even more detail."
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An extensive equatorial coronal hole has rotated so that it is now facing Earth (May 2-4, 2018). The dark coronal hole extends about halfway across the solar disk. It was observed in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. This magnetically open area is streaming solar wind (i.e., a stream of charged particles released from the sun) into space. When Earth enters a solar wind stream and the stream interacts with our magnetosphere, we often experience nice displays of aurora.
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Image of the sun, the largest star in our solar system.
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A small, but complex mass of plasma gyrated and spun about over the course of 40 hours above the surface of the Sun taken by NASA's GSFC Solar Dynamics Observatory on Sept. 1-3, 2015.
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A developing filament near the edge of the sun churned and twisted as the rotating sun brought it into clearer view over a day (Nov. 16-17, 2017). Filaments are cooler and often unstable clouds of particles floating above the sun's surface, which are tethered by magnetic forces. In extreme ultraviolet light, they appear darker than the sun's surface. The bright area to the right of the filament is an active region. The loop that appears behind the filament in the middle of the clip is made of charged particles tracing magnetic field lines. Movies are available at
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Amazing Burning End Sun with Plasma and Torches at Space Magnetic Storms and Solar Flares 1102801996
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Sun star surface with solar flares, burning of sun animation 3D rendering
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This close-up of the sunspot underneath the March 29, 2014, flare shows incredible detail. The image was captured by the G-band camera at Sacramento Peak in New Mexico. This instrument can focus on only a small area at once, but provide very high resolution. Ground-based telescope data can be hindered by Earth's atmosphere, which blocks much of the sun's ultraviolet and X-ray light, and causes twinkling even in the light it does allow through. As it happens, the March 29 flare occurred at a time of day in New Mexico that often results in the best viewing times from the ground.
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A large sunspot was the source of a powerful solar flare (an X 9.3) and a coronal mass ejection (Sept. 6, 2017). The flare was the largest solar flare of the last decade. For one thing, it created a strong shortwave radio blackout over Europe, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Sunspot 2673 has been also the source of several other smaller to medium-sized solar flares over the past few days. Data from the SOHO spacecraft shows the large cloud of particles blasting into space just after the flare. Note the bright vertical line and the other rays with barred lines are aberrations in our instruments caused by the bright flash of the flare.
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Sun with solar flares, illustration
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NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spied a substantial coronal hole begin to rotate into view over Dec. 1-2, 2016. Coronal holes are magnetically open areas of the sun's magnetic field structure that spew streams of high speed solar wind into space.
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Illustration of a CME particle cloud blasted from the sun impacting Earth and creating aurora (in actual photo of aurora as taken by an astronaut on the space station).
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STEREO (Behind) captured this magnificent coronal mass ejection (associated with an M-class flare) that flung a long stream of plasma into space (Aug. 24, 2014). We have combined a view of the Sun in extreme UV light with a broader visible light view of the Sun's corona. It is interesting to note that a lot of the plasma, lacking sufficient kinetic energy to break free from the Sun's gravity, was pulled back into the Sun.
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X-rays stream off the sun in this first picture of the sun, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), taken by NASA's NuSTAR. The field of view covers the west limb of the sun.
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NASA image release August 6, 2010 On August 1, 2010, almost the entire Earth-facing side of the sun erupted in a tumult of activity. This image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory of the news-making solar event on August 1 shows the C3-class solar flare (white area on upper left), a solar tsunami (wave-like structure, upper right), multiple filaments of magnetism lifting off the stellar surface, large-scale shaking of the solar corona, radio bursts, a coronal mass ejection and more. This multi-wavelength extreme ultraviolet snapshot from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun's northern hemisphere in mid-eruption. Different colors in the image represent different gas temperatures. Earth's magnetic field is still reverberating from the solar flare impact on August 3, 2010, which sparked aurorae as far south as Wisconsin and Iowa in the United States. Analysts believe a second solar flare is following behind the first flare and could re-energize the fading geomagnetic storm and spa
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This combination of three wavelengths of light from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows one of the multiple jets that led to a series of slow coronal puffs on Jan. 17, 2013. The light has been colorized in red, green and blue. Read more a href= http //1.usa.gov/UQi41p rel= nofollow 1.usa.gov/UQi41p /a
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An arching prominence rising over the Sun ten times the diameter of Earth seen by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)'s Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) 304 Angstrom instrument.
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The Cassiopeia A supernova's first flash of radiation makes six clumps of dust (circled in annotated version) unusually hot. The supernova remnant is the large white ball in the center. This infrared picture was taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
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Surface of the sun Illustration showing the detailed surface of the sun Copyright: xZoonar.com/PaulxFleetx 2220480
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A 3D render of a sun in space
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The largest solar flare ever recorded occurred at 4 51 p.m. EDT, on Monday, April 2, 2001. as Observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite. Solar flares, among the solar systems mightiest eruptions, are tremendous explosions in the atmosphere of the Sun capable of releasing as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT. Caused by the sudden release of magnetic energy, in just a few seconds, solar flares can accelerate solar particles to very high velocities, almost to the speed of light, and heat solar material to tens of millions of degrees. The recent explosion from the active region near the sun's northwest limb hurled a coronal mass ejection into space at a whopping speed of roughly 7.2 million kilometers per hour. Luckily, the flare was not aimed directly towards Earth. Second to the most severe R5 classification of radio blackout, this flare produced an R4 blackout as rated by the NOAA SEC. This classification measures the disruption in radio communications.
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A small prominence observed in profile arched up and sent streams of plasma curling back into the sun over a 30-hour period (Dec. 13-14, 2017). We are observing charged particles streaming along magnetic field lines made visible in extreme ultraviolet light. Prominences are cooler strands of plasma tethered above the sun's surface by magnetic forces. They are quite unstable and frequently fall apart within hours or days. Movies are available at
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Venus transiting in front of the Sun.
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The sun has been virtually spotless, as in no sunspots, over the past 11 days, a spotless stretch that we have not seen since the last solar minimum many years ago. From NASA's SDO Mar. 14-17, 2017.
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The C2 coronagraph of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this image of a very large coronal mass ejection and solar flare in the area of former sunspot region 798. The flare was the fifth largest ever recorded. The white circle represents the position and size of the Sun.
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The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, lower left of image, as it transits across the face of the sun, Monday, May 9, 2016, as viewed from Boyertown, Pennsylvania. Mercury passes between Earth and the sun only about 13 times a century, with the previous transit taking place in 2006.
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NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory satellites have provided the first 3-dimensional images of the Sun. This view will aid scientists' ability to understand solar physics to improve space weather forecasting. 3D glasses are necessary.
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Two images over a period of 5 days shows the growth of sunspot group 656, which (right) eventually grew to an area 20 times the size of Earth.
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The International Space Station, with a crew of five onboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits the Sun at roughly five miles per second, Wednesday, June 24, 2020, from Fredericksburg, Va. Onboard are Expedition 63 NASA astronauts Chris Cassidy, Douglas Hurley, Robert Behnken, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.
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Swarm of mosquitoes in front of the sun, Strohauser Plate, Lower Saxony, Germany, Europe
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The Moon is seen as it starts passing in front of the Sun during a solar eclipse from Ross Lake, Northern Cascades National Park, Washington on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe.
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A small prominence slowly rose further up above the sun, then fell apart and back into the sun over about seven hours (Dec. 6, 2017). Prominences, notoriously unstable, are cooler clouds of particles tethered not far above the sun by magnetic forces. When it stretched out, its distance above the sun was several times the size of Earth. Images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. These images are colorized since we cannot see ultraviolet light. In this case, a yellow tone was used instead of the normal red tint we use for this 304 Angstrom wavelength. Movies are available at
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This is a photo of a sunspot, courtesy of NASA. Sunspots are the cradle for a lot of the solar behavior that affects us here on Earth. They are one of the only solar features that can be seen in visible light - though of course you can still only see them with Special telescopes or eclipse glasses, because you should never look at the sun directly. Sunspots are the most magnetically active regions on the sun, and they tend to be complex regions too. It's these beds of roiling solar material and magnetism that can lead to the giant explosions NASA sees as flares and coronal mass ejections... Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials
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The Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) cameras of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite captured this image of a solar coronal mass ejection, a wave of electrons and protons, and a small amount of heavier element, streaming from the solar corona.
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With its C2 coronagraph instrument, NASA's satellite SOHO captured a blossoming coronal mass ejection (CME) as it roared into space from the right side of the Sun (Dec. 28, 2013). SOHO also produces running difference images and movies of the Sun's corona in which the difference between one image and the next (taken about 10 minutes apart) is highlighted. This technique strongly emphasizes the changes that occurred. Here we have taken a single white light frame and shift it back and forth with a running difference image taken at the same time to illustrate the effect.
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A trio of images showing activity at Active Region 652 on the Sun. At left are a pair of large sunspots in visible light, which correspond to an image of the Sun taken by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) at 171 angstroms (blue) shows loops and other structures indicative of magnetic activity. And a (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph) LASCO C2 coronagraph (right) shows the largest coronal mass ejection from AR 652.
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This sequence of images shows the sun from its surface to its upper atmosphere all taken at about the same time (Oct. 27, 2017). The first shows the surface of the sun in filtered white light; the other seven images were taken in different wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light. Note that each wavelength reveals somewhat different features. They are shown in order of temperature from the first one at 6,000 degree C. surface out to about 10 million degrees C. in the upper atmosphere. Yes, the sun's outer atmosphere is much, much hotter than the surface. Scientists are getting closer to solving the processes that generate this phenomenon.
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Red planet with a storm of particles against a black space background. Blender 3D illustration
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Transit of Venus as seen from the Cupola Module.
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This composite image was taken by the navigation camera during the close approach phase of Stardust's Jan 2, 2004 flyby of comet Wild 2. Several large depressed regions can be seen. Comet Wild 2 is about five kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter.
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The International Space Station, with a crew of three onboard, is seen in silhouette as it transits the Sun at roughly five miles per second, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018 from Suffolk, Va. Onboard are Expedition 57 Commander Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency), Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA, and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos. The trio will soon be joined by Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, who are scheduled to launch on October 11 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
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'Photograph of the Sun c1900, showing the limb of darkness towards the edge, and also sunsp;ot activity, the black patches on the toop half of the disk.'
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On May 9, 2016, Mercury passed directly between the sun and Earth. This event - which happens about 13 times each century - is called a transit. NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, studies the sun 24/7 and captured the entire seven-and-a-half-hour event. This composite image of Mercurys journey across the sun was created with visible-light images from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on SDO.
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The active Sun with numerous sunspot groups.
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Transit of Venus, planet Venus moving across face of sun making it visible from earth
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Transit of Venus, planet Venus moving across face of sun making it visible from earth
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This photo of a coronal mass ejection was captured by the joint European Space Agency NASA Solar and helpioshperic Observatory. Coronal mass ejections are different from solar flares, though sometimes they happen at the same time. While solar flares are made u only of light and energetic articles (like protons and electrons), coronal mass ejections are clouds of gaseous solar material and magnetic fields. Both coronal mass ejections and flares tend to come from regions on the sun that are very magnetically active (meaning that the magnetic fields shift and change a lot in those areas). To get an idea of how huge coronal mass ejections can be: that white circle is outlining the sun. A million Earths could fit inside the sun, so imagine how many could fit in that one cloud of gas! Coronal mass ejections can travel in all directions, but images like this can help scientists figure out if they're headed toward Earth. When a coronal mass ejection reaches Earth, it can cause raid changes in