Today's Image

Coronal loops in early February

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February 20, 2014

Image credit: NASA — View larger. | Image via NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

An active region of the sun that rotated into the view of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory from about February 8-10, 2014 gave this profile view of solar coronal loops.

Coronal loops are found around sunspots and in active regions. They are a direct consequence of the twisted solar magnetic flux within the sun. Many coronal loops last for days or weeks, but most change quite rapidly.

This image was taken in extreme ultraviolet light.

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February 20, 2014

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Today's Image

Eleanor Imster

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About the Author:

Eleanor Imster has helped write and edit EarthSky since 1995. She was an integral part of the award-winning EarthSky radio series almost since it began until it ended in 2013. She and her husband live in Tennessee, where they enjoy guitar playing and singing. They have 2 grown sons.