14 DAY TRIAL // We usually think of it as one big, bright ball shining over our heads. Then again, we can't really look straight at it for hours on end and try to make up its silhouette, not unless we want to go blind.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, however, has no such problems. It's been studying the Sun since February 2010, when it was launched. With its help, researchers know exactly what our parent star is up to.
Recently, the Solar Dynamics Observatory documented intense activity focused in just one area. More precisely, it witnessed several flares and even a cloud of plasma frolicking just above the surface of the Sun.
All this happened between September 29 and October 2. The probe caught the show on film, and the video was released by NASA just hours ago. Scroll down to have a look at it yourself.
“An active region popped off numerous flares while nearby a massive prominence that put on quite a display before erupting. The video covers almost four days of activity.”
“The prominence along the right edge shows plasma being pulled back and forth by magnetic forces before it finally breaks away and dissipates,” NASA researchers write in the description accompanying the footage.
Scientists describe solar flares as energetic storms during which the Sun releases bursts of radiation. When observed in extreme ultraviolet light, solar flares appear as bright flashes.
