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music throughout

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Did you see that? The sun was caught on camera, ripping apart a structure

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that was about to erupt. Didn't catch it? Let's watch again.

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A structure began rising from the surface, gaining energy as it lifted.

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But then nothing happened.

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This is the first time anyone had witnessed the teardown of a structure on the sun’s surface.

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Fortunately, at the time of this event, multiple spacecraft were making simultaneous observations

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in various temperatures. Scientists used

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those unique views to investigate why the eruption failed.

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The sun’s landscape is controlled by magnetic forces.

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Within this environment, there are locations where a rapid release of energy is more likely to occur.

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Known as “magnetic topology,” distinctive magnetic field lines rule

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these special areas, and they determine how or whether

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underlying structures can move outwards.

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When solar structures with opposite magnetic orientation collide, we expect to see them explosively release energy

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yielding a flare and a burst of material called a Coronal Mass Ejection.

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: However, If the magnetic structure dares

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to move into a less hospitable magnetic region, the surrounding topology

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will shred the structure effectively removing magnetic energy and preventing

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the potential eruption.

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This observation highlights how the sun's magnetic topology is a key factor in whether or not an eruption is successful

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tone

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tone

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beeping