Coronal loops, well-defined hot strands of plasma that arch out into the sun’s atmosphere, are iconic to the sun’s imagery. But many of the supposed coronal loops we see might not be there at all.

Many coronal loops — ropey strands of plasma that scientists have long thought existed in the Sun’s atmosphere — may actually be optical illusions, according to a new paper that challenges prevailing ...

Some of the most spectacular features on the Sun are its coronal loops — incandescent structures of hot plasma that arc for thousands of miles above magnetically active regions of the Sun, forming ...

The Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, has posed an enduring mystery. Why is it so hot? The Sun’s visible surface is only 10,000° Fahrenheit (5500° Celsius), but as you move outward, the temperature ...

Many people who think of the Sun quickly imagine a ball of fire in space, but the Sun isn’t fire at all. It’s a glowing ball of nuclear fusion, and it has its own physical properties that we’re still ...

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of coronal loops above an active region on the sun in mid-January 2012. The image was taken in the 171 angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet ...

However, in fact this image reveal astonishing power and complexity of the raging battles on the solar surface. It shows vast coronal loops of material attempting break free, as well as the magnetic ...

Scientists have been trying to solve this mystery for decades. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Breaking space news, the latest ...