Get dazzled by the true spectrum of solar beauty. From fiery reds to cool blues, explore the vibrant hues of the Sun in a mesmerizing color order. The images used to make this gradient come from our Solar Dynamics Observatory. Taken in a variety of wavelengths, they give scientists a wealth of data about the Sun.
Don't miss the total solar eclipse crossing North America on April 8, 2024. (It's the last one for 20 years!) Set a reminder to watch with us.
fanart I made after watching sailor stars and becoming absolutely obsessed with seiya and seiya/usagi 💜
I just wanted to draw the Magnet (vocaloid) pose because Star Fighter has a cute earpiece.
Back in the 1980s, geophysicists analyzing moon rocks brought to Earth during Apollo missions were surprised to find very strong magnetic fields etched onto those samples. The moon is not large enough to power such a field, let alone do so for more than 1.5 billion years. How then, did these lunar samples get magnetized?
The conundrum had previously led a few researchers to suspect other sources of magnetism, including the possibility that the Apollo spacecraft ferrying the samples back home may be responsible. But now, a new study demonstrates that the magnetization preserved in lunar rocks is, in fact, natural in origin — and that spaceflight does not have a significant impact on the force. These findings disprove one of two big oppositions to the theory that the moon powered its own dynamo.
The Sun is shown during a total solar eclipse. Accentuated is the expansive corona of the Sun, which is shown streaming out in all directions.
Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona
Image Credit & Copyright: Phil Hart
Explanation: Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by the bright solar disk, the expansive corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, is an alluring sight. But the subtle details and extreme ranges in the corona's brightness, although discernible to the eye, are notoriously difficult to photograph. Pictured here, however, using multiple images and digital processing, is a detailed image of the Sun's corona taken during the April 20, 2023 total solar eclipse from Exmouth, Australia. Clearly visible are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever changing mixture of hot gas and magnetic fields. Bright looping prominences appear pink just around the Sun's limb. A similar solar corona might be visible through clear skies in a narrow swath across the North America during the total solar eclipse that occurs just six days from today