NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory released breathtaking close-up footage of solar flares, revealing the Sun as a complex network of blazing plasma loops and turbulent magnetic fields. The new video captures dark filaments cutting across bright, twisting arcs as massive bursts of energy erupt and constantly reshape in real time. To appreciate the scale: the Sun spans about 1.39 million kilometres in diameter, roughly 109 times the size of Earth. What may appear as tiny sparks in the footage are a

AR9077 • Solar Magnetic Arcade the Bastille Slinky • On July 14th 2000, solar active region 9077 (AR9077) produced a massive flare. The event also blasted an enormous cloud of energetic charged particles toward planet Earth, triggering magnetic storms and dramatic auroral displays. This striking close-up of AR9077 was made by the orbiting TRACE satellite shortly after the flare erupted. It shows million degree hot solar plasma cooling down while suspended in an arcade of magnetic loops. This fal