Sun  ID: 11277

Hot Lines

Story by Aviva H. Rutkin Released on July 9, 2013
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Scientists model the intense magnetic fields around the sun.
Magnetic field lines dance above the surface of the sun. Called coronal loops, these lines are difficult to observe from afar, since they are invisible. Scientists can observe them in two ways: by watching the visible solar material that flows along the lines or by modeling them using computer simulations. Studying these formations help us understand the way energy travels on and around the sun. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, is a sun-observing spacecraft that can measure and depict distortions in the sun’s magnetic field. Using data collected by the spacecraft, scientists created a virtual, 3D model of the field lines. Watch the video to explore the loops.
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Watch this video to see the waves of hot, charged gas that loop around the surface of the sun.
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The sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona, is 1,000 times hotter than the sun’s surface.
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Coronal loops are only visible in ultraviolet light. The loops have been colored green in this model.
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Coronal loops are often found near sunspots, such as the one seen in this image captured by SOHO.
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Launched in 1995, SOHO is a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency.
 

Related Story

Grand Tour of the Coronal Loops Model

Story Credits

Visualizer/Animator:
Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)

Lead Scientists:
Michael Kaiser (NASA/GSFC)
Therese Kucera (NASA/GSFC)
Russ Howard (NRL)
Don Michels (NRL)
Marc L. DeRosa (LMSAL)

Lead Writer:
Aviva H. Rutkin (USRA)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11277

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Sun