Grand Tour of the Coronal Loops Model

This narrated visualization transitions from a view of the Sun in visible light, to a view in ultraviolet light showing the plasma flowing along solar magnetic structures, to the underlying magnetic field of the solar photosphere, to a model construction of magnetic fieldlines above the photosphere.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. || While the sun is well known as the overwhelming source of visible light in our solar system, a substantial part of its influence is driven by some aspects less visible to human perception - the magnetic field.In this visualization we start a view of the Sun in visible light (similiar to what you would see from the ground on Earth), to a view in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths (only visible to space-based instruments) which shows hot plasma streaming along magnetic field lines, to a magnetogram (derived from the visible light data) and finally to a three-dimensional magnetic field model built from that data. The sphere represents the solar photosphere, with neutral grey indicating a magnetic field of near zero intensity, black representing a magnetic field pointing INTO the sun (south or negative polarity) and white representing a magnetic field pointing OUT of the sun (north or positive polarity). We see that these magnetic regions often appear in nearby pairs of opposite polarities - which in visible light would often correspond to a pair of sunspots.Most of the solar photosphere has a magnetic field intensity of a few gauss while the active regions which form around sunspots can have magnetic fields of a few thousand gauss. Modern space-based instruments such as HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) enable us to measure the intensity of the magnetic field at the visible surface of the sun.Using this measured magnetic field on the photosphere, combined with mathematical models based on Maxwell is created at the seam where the less accurate model gets overwritten by newer data. || This visualization transitions from a view of the Sun in visible light, to a view in ultraviolet light showing the plasma flowing along solar magnetic structures, to the underlying magnetic field of the solar photosphere, to a model construction of magnetic fieldlines above the photosphere.Coming soon to our YouTube channel. || A view of the Sun in visible light, showing a few sunspots. || A view of the Sun in ultraviolet light at a wavelength of 171 ngstroms. || A photospheric magnetogram, showing regions of strong magnetic fields. || The PFSS magnetic field model, one of the possible configurations for the magnetic field near the Sun based on the photospheric magnetogram.

A visualization of the slow changes of the solar magnetic field over the course of four years. || While the sun is well known as the overwhelming source of visible light in our solar system, a substantial part of its influence is driven by some aspects less visible to human perception - the magnetic field.Most of the solar photosphere has a magnetic field intensity of a few gauss while the active regions which form around sunspots can have magnetic fields of a few thousand gauss. Modern space-based instruments such as HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) enable us to measure the intensity of the magnetic field at the visible surface of the sun. In this visualization, the sphere represents the solar photosphere, with neutral grey indicating a magnetic field of near zero intensity, black representing a magnetic field pointing INTO the sun (south or negative polarity) and white representing a magnetic field pointing OUT of the sun (north or positive polarity). We see that these magnetic regions often appear in nearby pairs of opposite polarities - which in visible light would often correspond to a pair of sunspots.Using this measured magnetic field on the photosphere, combined with mathematical models based on Maxwell is created at the seam where the less accurate model gets overwritten by newer data. || A visualization of the slow changes of the solar magnetic field over the course of four years. This version has the color thresholds of the magnetogram adjusted to better illustrate the active regions.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. || High-resolution still image of the solar magnetic field via PFSS - January 1, 2011. || High-resolution still image of the solar magnetic field via PFSS - October 28, 2011. || High-resolution still image of the solar magnetic field via PFSS - August 23, 2012. || High-resolution still image of the solar magnetic field via PFSS - June 19, 2013. || A visualization of the slow changes of the solar magnetic field over the course of four years. This version has the color thresholds of the magnetogram adjusted to better illustrate the active regions. || High-resolution still image of the solar magnetic field via PFSS - April 15, 2014.