NASA has released a new image of the sun that shows it looking more like a happy face than a deadly ball of fire. The image, taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), was released on Wednesday as part of an effort to raise awareness about the sun’s activity and to show people that it is not going to blow up any time soon. The SDO captured the image on July 20th, just days before an intense solar flare erupted from the sun. The flare was so powerful that it disrupted communications across much of Earth, including satellite services used by NASA. But despite the disruption, NASA was able to capture this beautiful image of the sun. “This is one in a series of images we are releasing every day this month as part of our ‘A Look at the Sun’ campaign,” said Amy Mainzer, director for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “We hope these images will help people understand that despite appearances, the sun is doing fine – and there is no need to worry about an impending solar storm.” The “A Look at the Sun” campaign is designed to educate people about how our star works and why it sometimes produces powerful eruptions like the one on July 20th. These eruptions can cause disruptions in Earth’s electrical systems and can even lead to satellite failures. But despite appearances, most solar storms are relatively mild and don’t cause any real damage. ..
NASA snapped a shot of the sun on Wednesday, in which the giant ball of hot plasma seemed to be sporting a smile—hopefully for good reasons, and not because it’s about to explode. It appeared to feature two gashes for eyes, a round pug nose, and a flaming smile down below.
“Say cheese!” NASA began its Tweet. “Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun “smiling.”
The happy sun resembled a pumpkin on fire or what a person might look like if they were still somehow smiling while drowning in lava. It’s open to interpretation, obviously.
The smile is apparently not due to the sun trying to get a role in a Pixar film. Instead, it appears to be a result of science. NASA explains in the Tweet that “Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space.”
Launched as a NASA mission in 2010, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) observes the sun with a goal of understanding the “solar variations that influence life on Earth and humanity’s technological systems.” And also spotting smiles, apparently.
Meanwhile, the moon had the same blank expression on its face.
Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun “smiling.” Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the Sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space. pic.twitter.com/hVRXaN7Z31
— NASA Sun, Space & Scream 🎃 (@NASASun) October 26, 2022
