On Halloween, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shared an image of a solar jack-o-lantern in an apparent ghoulish grin. Taking to Instagram, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration informed that the active regions in the image appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image in October 2014. NASA shared that the active regions 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 Angstroms, typically colourized in gold and yellow, to create a particularly Halloween-like appearance," NASA said in a press release.
Check out the image:
NASA in the caption wrote, "The SDO has kept an unblinking eye on the Sun since 2010, recording phenomena like solar flares and coronal loops. It measures the Sun's interior, atmosphere, magnetic field, and energy output, helping us understand our nearest star."
The picture has accumulated more than 9 lakh likes on Instagram. In the comment section, while some internet users were simply left amazed, others pointed out that the picture creates a Halloween-like appearance.
A user wrote, "forbidden jack o lantern," another user commented, "That's so beautiful and so cool at the same time."
The third commented, "The universe is beautiful."
Last week, NASA Sun shared an image which showed a face-like pattern made out of black patches against the Sun's otherwise fiery features.
"Say cheese! 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," the American space agency wrote the caption of the post.
