Magnetic beauty on the sun

Seen above are magnetic structures on the surface of the sun, imaged by the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope, operated by the Institute for Solar Physics. This photo is one of a series of, er, hot photos of the sun recently posted to the always amazing Big Picture blog. The Sun at The Big Picture (Thanks, Mark Dery!)

• [Phikus]

  Nice! More here and here.

• [mrsomuch]

  what? you mean it’s not backed up?

• [moniker42]

  Can’t… look…away…

• [eliba]

  beautiful images. thanks for sharing!

• [dapascha]

  Lovely! You can watch these pictures move as well: http://www.lmsal.com/Press/spicules2004/

• [Johnny Cat]

  Oooh, thanks Dapascha. Seriously inducing stuff there.

• [David Pescovitz]

  Gorgeous! Thanks for these links!

• [Dmitry Petrovich]

  “The Eye was rimmed with fire… watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing.”

  -Tolkien

  Oh dear…. back away from the telescope slowly….

• [Cool Products]

  Simply amazing.

• [farrellmcgovern]

  Great, just what I needed today, a sun-sized Goatse.

  ttyl

• [Takuan]

  doom doom doom
  http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200810191463.htm

  doom doom DOOM

• [anthony]

  these are wonderful images from a great site-thanks!
  I very much enjoyed the videos.

• [Tabitha at From Single to Married]

  wow- very cool.

• [Gemini Gypsy]

  This is eerily similar to this pic in my flickr set: http://flickr.com/photos/marywit/2897420477/

• [MarlboroTestMonkey7]

  I know it’s kind of wrong but I cannot help thinking how do these things sound like, maybe like a million dragons.

  Tabitha, this is the total opposite of cool. :)

• [mdh]

  I know it’s kind of wrong but I cannot help thinking how do these things sound like, maybe like a million dragons.

  It sounds like burning, and it wants it’s precious.

• [Gary61]

  It’s big, and it’s round.
  And it’s hot.
  Very hot.
  Very freakin’ hot.
  It burns, and it bubbles, and it will continue to do so.

  sigh.

• [Takuan]

  do you suppose that if we all pay attention and work really, really hard we might be able to make another one when this one breaks or wears out?

• [mondegreen thoughts]

  Agreed, wonderful things…..

• [minTphresh]

  for all of your solar-inspired questions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyz7e8iQ6Uo

• [simplewonder]

  Wow! The beauty is hypnotic and also somehow terrifying, but that’s not the right word. When I think of “god” this don’t see a sheep herder in sandals, I see this kinda thing…because i’m a heathen.

  I hate to say it, but this also makes me wish I had really, really good weed. there now the world also knows I am a secret hippy.

  God Damn It!

• [simplewonder]

  #9 “I cannot help thinking how do these things sound like, maybe like a million dragons.”

  best comment, hands down. you win this thread!

• [Topicbean]

  Amazing amazing picture! Reminds me of lava inside the volcano.

• [michaelkevin]

  wow. that’s the best site on the internet.

• [Topicbean]

  It reminds me of the iron and magnet experiment we did in school. Amazing! Love the colors.