NASA Caught The Sun ‘Smiling’ In New Photo—But The Findings Are Not As Bright
Remember the smiling baby face that always appeared on the sun in ‘Teletubbies’? It’s become a reality, with NASA’s latest satellite image capturing what seemed to be the sun cheesing in a “smile” of sorts.
In a Twitter post, the agency explained the Solar Dynamics Observatory had caught the peculiar moment in ultraviolet light, making visible the dark patches of the smiling face that are, in actuality, regions of fast solar wind, known as coronal holes.
According to The Guardian, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which was only launched back in 2010, focuses on how solar activity occurs and its effect on space weather. Its spacecraft monitors the sun’s interior, atmosphere, magnetic field, and energy.
Say cheese! 📸
— NASA Sun, Space & Scream 🎃 (@NASASun) October 26, 2022
Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun "smiling." Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the Sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space. pic.twitter.com/hVRXaN7Z31
However, even though the smile looks cheery, the presence of coronal holes could hint at a solar storm headed Earth’s way, with spaceweather.com reporting the sun could be “spewing a triple stream of solar wind toward the Earth.”
Nursery rhymes often talk about the Man in the Moon, but maybe now we’ll hear some about the smile in the sun.
— tnkatnks (@2yskntk) October 26, 2022
[via The Guardian and NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, cover image via NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory]
