• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Mind-blowing new footage of the Sun shows surface is actually ‘fluffy’ in parts

Home> Science> Space

Published 12:04 6 May 2024 GMT+1

Mind-blowing new footage of the Sun shows surface is actually ‘fluffy’ in parts

A new video shows the Sun's surface in amazing detail.

Prudence Wade

Prudence Wade

When you think of the Sun, your brain will likely turn to a few descriptors.

You might immediately think that it's bright, hot and light - all of which would be correct - but what about fluffy?

Well, now scientists have captured some incredible and detailed footage of the Sun's surface - and yes, it does look remarkably fluffy in parts.

The video of the Sun was taken by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument on Solar Orbiter back in September last year.

Advert

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, with threads of yellow swirling out from the surface.

According to the ESA, these hair-like structures are actually made up of charged gas - otherwise known as plasma - and are following magnetic field lines that are shooting out from the inside of the Sun.

The video was taken when the Solar Orbiter was around a third of the Earth's distance from the Sun - and this wasn't even the closest it got, making its nearest approach a bit later, on October 7. But even the closest point the orbiter could get to the Sun was around 43 million kilometers away - after all, the Sun is still an enormous ball of fire, and the ESA presumably wanted its expensive bit of kit to not get burnt to a crisp.

There's a lot going on in the video - including coronal 'rain' and coronal 'moss'.

Advert

FYI, coronal means anything to do with a star like the Sun - the 'moss' can be seen in the bottom left of the video, and is what the ESA calls 'delicate, lace-like patterns', whereas the 'rain' looks relatively dark and is actually made of 'higher-density clumps of plasma that fall back towards the Sun under the influence of gravity'.

To give a bit of perspective, those shoots of gas can actually reach heights of 10,000km - hinting at just how massive the Sun really is, if all this is casually going on on its surface.

In fact, one moment in the video shows an eruption, where cooler material is 'lifted upwards before mostly falling back down', says the ESA - but this eruption is actually bigger than Earth.

Advert

If you really want to get your head around the true scale of the Sun, you need to check out a recent viral picture of what Mercury looks like in front of it - the planet is pretty easy to miss, because it's completely overwhelmed by the giant star that powers our universe.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team / hadzi3/Getty
Sun
Space

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Mind-blowing footage shows doctor performing ‘world’s first’ robotic surgery 5,000 miles away
  • 'Mind-boggling' video shows how big the sun is in comparison to Earth
  • People mind-blown after discovering the 'real color' of the sun
  • Scientists baffled after learning part of the sun is 'broken'

Choose your content:

7 hours ago
12 hours ago
13 hours ago
a day ago
  • 7 hours ago

    Urgent warning issued to 1,000,000 US drivers to avoid gas stations amid toxic air

    Fires in Canada have caused experts to advise against a regular activity for many Americans

    Science
  • 12 hours ago

    NASA issues official statement as space agency begins shutting down social media accounts

    Mars Curiosity is seeing its account deactivated

    Science
  • 13 hours ago

    NASA issue brutal response to woman who claimed she’s going to the Moon with the space agency

    Katy Perry could have some competition

    Science
  • a day ago

    Elon Musk's Starlink satellites could pose catastrophic threat to space after scientists report 'leaks'

    The Starlink satellites are 'leaking' emissions

    Science