icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
12 Dec, 2018 12:16

Sun’s mesmeric shapeshifting atmosphere revealed in stunning timelapse VIDEO

Sun’s mesmeric shapeshifting atmosphere revealed in stunning timelapse VIDEO

Recent headlines have been dominated by far-flung, water-carrying asteroids and interstellar probes, but The European Space Agency (ESA) has shared a video that reminds us of the majesty present much closer to home.

On Wednesday morning, the agency shared an incredible timelapse image of our own sun, laying bare its atmospheric activity we rarely get to appreciate in such captivating detail.

The images are all thanks to the PROBA-2 satellite, the second of the agency's planned low-cost satellite program. Weighing in at just 130kg (286lbs), the small but mighty craft is the ESA's resident sunbather and is punching well above its weight in terms of the data sent back to Earth.

Also on rt.com Voyager 2 becomes second man-made object to enter interstellar space - NASA

While our planet's poles are reasonably well-charted, despite the unforgiving climate, the solar poles are a different beast entirely. Prior to PROBA-2, the only craft to fly over a solar pole was Ulysses in the mid-1990s – a craft which, unfortunately, did not possess any imaging instrumentation.

However, after many months and dozens of iterations piecing together data transmitted back to Earth by the plucky solar pioneer, PROBA-2 managed to also provide us a sneak peek at the Solar north pole, just in time for Christmas.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

Podcasts
0:00
23:13
0:00
25:0