NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory “Flaming Jack-o’-Lantern” Sun for Halloween

Sun’s active regions resemble the face of a jack-o’-lantern. Credit: NASA/GSFC/SDO

Active regions on the sun combined to look something like a jack-o-lantern’s face on October 8, 2014. The active regions appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy — 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 wavelengths at 171 and 193 angstroms, typically colorized in gold and yellow, to create a particularly Halloween-like appearance.

This image is a blend of 171 and 193 angstrom light as captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory.