Solar activity, SDO image. Coloured image of the surface of the Sun, showing one of an unusual series of eruptions that led to a series of fast 'puffs

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Solar activity, SDO image. Coloured image of the surface of the Sun, showing one of an unusual series of eruptions that led to a series of fast 'puffs', which forced the slow ejection of a massive burst of solar plasma from the Sun's corona (outermost atmosphere). The puffs occurred roughly once every three hours. After around 12 hours, a much larger eruption of material began. Data, including that used to create this image, enabled scientists to conclude that the source of the puffs was a series of energetic jets and related flares - localised catastrophic releases of energy that spew material out from the Sun, into space. Imaged by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in three wavelengths of light, on 17th January 2013.

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Size: 2976px × 2976px
Photo credit: © Alzate/SDO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 07/01/2013, 17, 17th, 2013, 21st, activity, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, atmosphere, atmospheric, century, colored, coloured, composite, corona, coronal, dynamics, ejection, energy, erupting, eruption, eruptions, false-colored, false-coloured, flare, flares, heliophysics, image, january, jet, jets, material, observation, observatory, plasma, puff, puffs, release, releasing, satellite, sdo, solar, space, stellar, sun, surface, system, unusual