#solar dynamics

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

A Glimpse of the Solar Wind

In December 2024, Parker Solar Probe made its closest pass yet to our Sun. In doing so, it captured the detailed images seen here, where three coronal mass ejections -- giant releases of plasma, twisted by magnetic fields -- collide in the Sun's corona.  (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab; video credit: NASA Goddard; via Gizmodo) Read the full article

[nightstim]

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a spacecraft orbiting the Earth, designed to study the Sun. Its primary mission is to study how the sun's magnetic field is generated and how energy is released from the Sun into the solar system. If you use these images, either link to this post or https://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov . Do not delete this caption.

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Zoom Into the Sun

Fall into our nearest star in this gorgeous high-resolution view of the Sun. Taken by Solar Orbiter, a joint NASA-ESA mission, the image stretches from the fiery photosphere -- full of filaments and prominences -- to the wispy yet unbelievably hot corona. (Image credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team, E. Kraaikamp; via Gizmodo)

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Seeing the Sun's South Pole For the First Time

The ESA-led Solar Orbiter recently used a Venus flyby to lift itself out of the ecliptic -- the equatorial plane of the Sun where Earth sits. This maneuver offers us the first-ever glimpse of the Sun's south pole, a region that's not visible from the ecliptic plane.  (Image and video credit: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team, D. Berghmans (ROB) & ESA/Royal Observatory of Belgium; via Gizmodo)  Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Bright Night Lights

A coronal mass ejection from the Sun set night skies ablaze in mid-October 2024. This composite panorama shows a busy night sky over New Zealand's South Island.  (Image credit: T. McDonald; via APOD) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Glimpses of Coronal Rain

Despite its incredible heat, our sun's corona is so faint compared to the rest of the star that we can rarely make it out except during a total solar eclipse. But a new adaptive optic technique has given us coronal images with unprecedented detail. (Image credit: Schmidt et al./NJIT/NSO/AURA/NSF; research credit: D. Schmidt et al.; via Gizmodo) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

A Triangular Prominence

Our Sun is a maelstrom of light and heat, a constant battlefield for plasma and magnetic fields. This recent prominence, captured by Andrea Vanoni and others, bore a striking triangular shape.  (Image credit: A. Vanoni; via APOD) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

The Solar Corona in Detail

The sun's corona -- its outer atmosphere -- is usually impossible to see, since it's far outshone by the rest of the sun. But during a total solar eclipse, the moon blocks out all but the vibrant, wispy corona. (Image credit: P. Hart; via APOD) Read the full article