VIDEO: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory Watches Glowing Solar Material Arch Up, Out

By  //  May 6, 2016

ABOVE VIDEO: An elongated, streaming arch of solar material rose up at the sun’s edge before breaking apart in this animation of imagery captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 28, 2016.

An elongated, streaming arch of solar material rose up at the sun’s edge before breaking apart which was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 28, 2016.

While some of the solar material fell back into the sun, the disintegration of this magnetic arch also sent some particles streaming into space.

These details were captured in a type of light that’s invisible to human eyes, called extreme ultraviolet.

The images were colorized in gold for easy viewing.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a NASA mission which has been observing the Sun since 2010.

Launched on February 11, 2010, the observatory is part of the Living With a Star (LWS) program.

An elongated, streaming arch of solar material rose up at the sun’s edge before breaking apart which was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 28, 2016. (NASA.gov image)
An elongated, streaming arch of solar material rose up at the sun’s edge before breaking apart which was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 28, 2016. (NASA.gov image)

The goal of the LWS program is to develop the scientific understanding necessary to effectively address those aspects of the connected Sun–Earth system directly affecting life and society.

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The goal of the SDO is to understand the influence of the Sun on the Earth and near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously.

SDO has been investigating how the Sun’s magnetic field is generated and structured, how this stored magnetic energy is converted and released into the heliosphere and geospace in the form of solar wind, energetic particles, and variations in the solar irradiance.

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