Have you ever just stared at the sun? (Editor’s note: do not stare at the sun)
The video above is from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, which captured these intense images of solar “tornadoes” and coronal mass ejections tearing across the sun.
The observatory was built to give scientists a better understanding of the sun’s affect on our planet. But this video just happens to be a bonus. The video’s creator Scott Wiessinger:
I’d love it if viewers who enjoyed watching the video were motivated to look up other SDO footage, find out more about spacecraft, or learn more about what features and activity they are seeing in the video. Video isn’t necessarily the best medium for teaching, but it is a great one for creating an emotional response and motivating.
The SDO captures ultraviolet light and can record images that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. It’s fascinating to see the sun as something more than that big bright thing that gives you a tan.
Bonus: If you missed the annular eclipse on May 20th here’s a little treat.
