8 stunning images of sun captured by NASA

This image shows the Sun's magnetic fields overlaid on a 2016 ultraviolet shot by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The gold lines reveal how magnetism shifts with the Sun's constant motion.

This image from June 20, 2013, shows a solar flare and a prominence eruption on the Sun. Shortly after, a fast Earth-directed CME was released, possibly triggering geomagnetic storms.

This composite image from June 2022 shows the Sun in X-ray and ultraviolet light using data from NuSTAR, Hinode, and SDO. The bright hotspots may be caused by nanoflares heating the Sun’s atmosphere.

This image from late March 2013 shows a dark coronal hole on the Sun, visible near the centre. It marks a region where fast solar wind escapes into space.

This image, captured on December 6, 2010, shows a massive solar filament erupting from the Sun. Nearly a million km long, it was seen by STEREO in extreme ultraviolet light.

This animation shows a CME blasting from the Sun and hitting Earth’s magnetosphere. Captured by NASA/ESA, it visualises how solar storms interact with our planet's magnetic shield.

This image from June 20, 2013, shows a solar flare and eruption, followed by an Earth-directed CME. The CME, moving at 1350 miles per second, caused geomagnetic storms.

This illustration shows a CME blasting off the Sun towards Earth, deflected by Earth’s magnetosphere. The magnetic cloud can disrupt communications and power systems.