First Sighting

  • Released Thursday, February 28, 2013
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On July 18, 2012, scientists were able to watch for the first time the very formation of something they had long theorized was at the heart of many eruptive events on the sun: a flux rope. These magnetic loops form in the sun's atmosphere and are invisible to the naked eye. Using an ultraviolet telescope aboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), scientists were able to view these structures as hot plasma traced out their shape just prior to a coronal mass ejection (CME). The observation solved the long-unanswered question whether flux ropes form before or during a CME eruption. Watch the videos to see how a flux rope forms and to learn more about this event.

Scientists witness the formation of a solar flux rope.

Scientists witness the formation of a solar flux rope.

Flux ropes are only visible in extreme ultraviolet light at 131

Spotting flux ropes on the sun could help scientists develop ways to predict CME eruptions. Learn more by watching this video.

This SDO image has been processed to highlight the edge of each loop that makes up a flux rope.

This SDO image has been processed to highlight the edge of each loop that makes up a flux rope.

Flux ropes can be seen only in SDO images that show the very hottest material on the sun.

Flux ropes can be seen only in SDO images that show the very hottest material on the sun.

For More Information

See NASA.gov

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Flux rope video courtesy of NASA/SDO/Vourlidas
Images courtesy of NASA/GSFC/SDO

This page was originally published on Thursday, February 28, 2013.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:52 PM EDT.