New SDO Image of the Sun Resembles Jack-o-Lantern Face

This image depicts solar active regions resembling a jack-o-lantern face. Credit: NASA/SDO

This new image captured on October 8, 2014 by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows active regions on the sun combining to look something like a jack-o-lantern face.

The active regions in this image appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy. They are markers of an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the sun’s atmosphere, the corona. This image blends together two sets of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths at 171 and 193 Ångströms, typically colorized in gold and yellow, to create a particularly Halloween-like appearance.