Seeing through the Layers (December 24, 2010)

Hi-res TIF image (1.3M)

Quicktime Movie: Large (5.7M), Small (1.3M)
MPEG Large ( 14M), Small (8.2M)

One can virtually peer through layers of the Sun to see different kinds of features using images taken at almost the same time (Dec. 19, 2010). Each STEREO spacecraft images the Sun in four wavelengths of extreme UV light. People cannot see UV light, but carefully designed instruments can. Frames from each wavelength are colorized so that scientists know instantly which wavelength they are observing. And each wavelength is imaging different material at different layers and temperatures. By superimposing images on top of one another, and moving from the just above the Sun to further out in the Sun?s outer atmosphere, we can illustrate how different features are revealed. Happy Holidays!

SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display.

If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov.