NASA released a spectacular video on Wednesday that was captured by a sun-watching spacecraft and shows loops of superheated plasma raining down on the sun's surface.
On July 19, 2012, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a four-minute video of a solar flare eruption which created huge plasma loops, according to Space.com. The loops are a phenomenon known as "coronal rain."
"Hot plasma in the corona [the sun's outer atmosphere] cooled and condensed along strong magnetic fields in the region," NASA officials said. "Magnetic fields are invisible, but the charged plasma is forced to move along the lines, showing up brightly in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength of 304 Angstroms, and outlining the fields as it slowly falls back to the solar surface."
The spacecraft was launched on February 11, 2010 for a five-year mission. Its main objective is to monitor solar flares and other space weather events, the report says. The spacecraft has taken over 100 million images so far.
The video was released to mark the three year anniversary of the spacecraft's launch.
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