Say cheese! Sun showcases smiley appearance
Say cheese! The sun is showcasing a very smiley jack-o'-lantern appearance just in time for Halloween.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory discovered the sun developed a face-like pattern in its atmosphere. While unrelated, the "smile" emerged following a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday.
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Seen in ultraviolet light, the dark patches on the sun are known as coronal holes and are created by temperature differences. The regions are also where fast solar wind gushes out into space and is positioned just right to capture the sun's smile.
The sun – our closest star – is made of super-hot ionized gas called plasma. Its surface and atmosphere change constantly, driven by the magnetic forces generated by churning plasma, according to NASA.
NASA says they study the sun to better understand how its ever-changing conditions can influence Earth, other worlds and space itself.