IRIS Movie of the Day
At least once a week a movie of the Sun taken by NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is posted by one of the scientists operating the instrument.
Unravelling magnetic fields from a small flare
Credit: IRIS, LMSAL/NASA, Roy Smart, Montana State University
The magnetic field of the solar atmosphere is relentlessly tangled by convection from the solar interior. However, the magnetic field does not let itself become tangled forever, it fights back through a mysterious process called magnetic reconnection, where the magnetic field is violently reorganized into a less tangled state. Magnetic reconnection is usually a very energetic process and can produce beautiful solar flares, like the one seen here. In this example we can see the field lines unravelling as a result of the flare, almost like unravelling a piece of fabric by pulling on a loose string.