It was really a mass of solar material, NASA says

Sep 9, 2015 20:17 GMT  ·  By
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has been studying the Sun since 2010
2 photos
   NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has been studying the Sun since 2010

About a week ago, our parent star coughed out a blob of solar material that, under the influence of powerful magnetic forces, took the shape of a space fountain of sorts. The event was caught on film by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and a video was posted on YouTube just yesterday. 

The footage, available below, shows the mass of solar material spinning and twisting and bending. In fact, the odd appearance kind of looks like it has a mind all of its own.

“The temperature of the ionized iron particles observed in this extreme ultraviolet wavelength of light was about 5 million degrees Fahrenheit,” NASA scientists explain.

“SDO captures imagery in many wavelengths, each of which represents different temperatures of material, and each of which highlights different events on the Sun.”

The blob of solar material was released on September 1. Astronomers say it kept gyrating over the surface of the Sun for about 40 hours. Thus, it was on September 3 that it finally calmed down and faded from view.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched back in February 2010 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as part of the space agency's Living with a Star program.

Data delivered by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, entrusted with studying the Sun's anatomy and behavior, is helping researchers better understand how the star influences conditions on our planet and in its proximity.

Space fountain comes into focus on the Sun
Space fountain comes into focus on the Sun

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NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has been studying the Sun since 2010
Space fountain comes into focus on the Sun
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