NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory continuously captured images of the Sun from August 12 to December 22, 2022. Thanks to two striking timelapses, we can admire its evolution, between magnetic fields, burning plasma and solar flares.
Above our heads shines the star of the solar system, the Sun. The latter is closely scrutinized by astronomers who sometimes manage to detect unexpected phenomena such as this “snake” plasma tube captured by the Solar Orbiter satellite. The surface of the Sun is indeed constantly changing, as demonstrated by the latest images collected by the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
As a reminder, the NASA observatory constantly scans the luminous star. Its mission is to detect incoming solar flares and any other signs of potentially hazardous space weather. The space agency thus took the opportunity to produce a one-hour video that condenses 133 days of solar life from August 12 to December 22, 2022. Our colleagues from Space.com went even further by producing a 2-minute timelapse that here is :
The Sun highlighted in a beautiful timelapse
“This 133-day timelapse stitches together photos taken at a wavelength of 17.1 nanometers, an extreme ultraviolet wavelength that shows the outermost atmospheric layer of the sun: the corona”, details NASA in the caption. In the video, you can watch the loops of plasma move as the Sun spins around its axis, completing one full rotation every 27 Earth days.
“The loops extending above the bright regions are magnetic fields that have trapped hot, glowing plasma. These bright regions are also the source of solar flares, which appear as bright flashes when magnetic fields come together in a process called magnetic reconnection.” explains the space agency.
Some moments are dark in the video due to eclipses and failure of certain instruments. To continue rinsing your eyes, you can admire the Sun from this side captured with a definition of 9,148 x 9,112 pixels.
