Sun Dance
Explanation:
Hot gas dances across the surface of the
Sun in
this picture from the orbiting
TRACE satellite.
The temperature of the gas is color coded so that
blue represents hundreds of thousands of
Kelvin, while red represents extreme temperatures
in the millions of Kelvin.
Hot gas is channeled into lanes ordered by the
Sun's chaotic magnetic field.
Pictures like these have
shown that
plasma heating occurs in relatively small regions.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
