NASA spots a 7,000mph whirlpool of plasma on the surface of the sun

A stunning new Nasa image shows an extremely rare pattern streaming from the sun at close to 7,000 miles per hour (11,200 km/h).

Clouds of charged particles tethered by magnetic forces. It is a rare occurrence, that tells me that someones job, perhaps a team of people get to watch the sun all day everyday.

'Solar filaments are clouds of charged particles that float above the sun, tethered to it by magnetic forces,' Nasa said in a statement.

'They are usually elongated and uneven strands. Only a handful of times before have we seen one shaped like a circle.

'While it may have no major scientific value, it is noteworthy because of its rarity.'

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Much about the formations of the filaments are unknown, and why some form into circles and some into strands is a mystery.

The birth and death of filaments is driven by the sun's magnetic field.

Much about the formations remains a mystery, and scientists are unsure as to why some of them form as strands and others as circles.

The filament was spotted encircling an active region on the star's surface - an area with an especially strong magnetic field.

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Weather on the sun is awesome.

a reply to: intrptr

It is amazing the speed of "wind" on some of these other planets and of course like the story says, the sun.


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originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: intrptr

It is amazing the speed of "wind" on some of these others planets and of course like the story says, the sun.

Comparison for scale between the size of earth and solar flares in here: