Freezing? Warm Up With These Incredible Photos of the Sun’s Surface
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), in orbit high above the Earth, performs great feats of science—and produces great works of art too, as this gallery of images proves
Solar Dynamics Observatory / NASA
Magnetism and fire are often inseparable on the Sun, and here, a long magnetic filament burst outs from the left side of the solar disk, an image captured by the SDO on Aug. 31, 2012. The filament stretched until it broke and headed off into space. Some of the particles from the eruption reached Earth, striking us a glancing blow on Sept. 3 and generating beautiful aurora.