NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory Views Rare Encircling Filament

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an unusual phenomenon: a dark filament surrounding an active region. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) came across an oddity that the spacecraft has rarely observed before: a dark filament encircling an active region (October 29-31, 2017).

Solar filaments are clouds of charged particles that float above the sun, tethered to it by magnetic forces. They are usually elongated and uneven strands. Only a handful of times before have we seen one shaped like a circle. The black area to the left of the brighter active region is a coronal hole, a magnetically open region of the sun. While it may have no major scientific value, it is noteworthy because of its rarity. The still was taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light.