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Credit & Copyright: TRACE Project,
NASA
Explanation:
Discovered in recent close-up pictures of the Sun from NASA's
Transition Region
And Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft,
this spongy-looking stuff has a temperature of 2 million
degrees Fahrenheit ... and has been dubbed "Solar Moss".
The false-color TRACE image above was recorded in extreme ultraviolet light
on October 18.
It shows the solar moss associated with
hot magnetic plasma
loops arching above one of
the Sun's active regions.
The moss is the dark blue and white fluff that seems to cover
areas between the bright white bases of the loops.
Solar moss has been seen to spread, typically persisting for
tens of hours, and may form rapidly following a solar flare.
Solar moss isn't found growing only on the Sun's north side,
but as a rule seems to lie above
the photosphere or visible surface,
in the
transition region of
the solar atmosphere.
Complex and previously unknown, this feature may provide a clue
to the
long sought mystery mechanism responsible for
heating the Sun's outer atmosphere.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sun - active region - solar moss
Publications with words: Sun - active region - solar moss
See also:
- APOD: 2024 February 19 Á Looking Sideways from the Parker Solar Probe
- Circling the Sun
- APOD: 2023 December 11 Á Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum
- APOD: 2023 November 19 Á Space Station, Solar Prominences, Sun
- APOD: 2023 October 25 Á Gone in 60 Seconds: A Green Flash Sunset
- Circular Sun Halo
- APOD: 2023 August 1 Á Monster Solar Prominence