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http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/-long-picture-of-the-day-protons-dance-on-a-solar-sensor/260528/
This little film, taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, at first looks like a relic of the early film era. Those little lines around the edge of the sun — those are scratches, right?
Wrong. Those are protons moving at half the speed of light.
On June 19, 2012, the sun let loose an “M7-class flare” that almost entered “X-territory” (the largest territory). Matching that flare was a coronal mass ejection on the orb’s other side. The protons dancing across the film are the result of both emissions.
Below, recent Pictures of the Day:
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/-long-picture-of-the-day-protons-dance-on-a-solar-sensor/260528/
