NASA Spotted The Sun Smiling, And It's The Most Joyous Thing
Space28 October 2022
By Peter Dockrill
The smiling Sun. (NASA Sun/Twitter)
Sometimes an unexpected smile is all it takes to turn your day around. Well, that kind of cheery surprise doesn't get much bigger than this.
Astronomers at NASA have spotted the Sun beaming a remarkable, joyous grin, in a sunny spectacle destined to put a smile on your dial.
As shared on NASA's Sun Twitter account, this incredible image reveals the Sun looking positively radiant in more ways than one.
Of course, the 'smile' we see here isn't actually a real smile. What we're looking at are coronal holes (the dark patches), where fast bursts of solar wind gush out into space, as NASA explains.
The Sun caught smiling. (NASA Sun/Twitter)
It just so happens – amidst all the crazy solar fluctuations the Sun tends to exhibit – that two of these coronal holes kind of look like twinkling eyes, while a third uncannily resembles an exuberant smile.
What's really going on here is the phenomenon of pareidolia, where we imagine seeing things like faces in random patterns.
It's a trick of the mind, only this time it's being played out on a stupendous, Sun-sized scale.
As some keen-eyed Twitter users have observed, the Sun's visage here doesn't only look like a smiling face.
The particular proportions of that exultant grin bear a striking similarity to the facial configuration of a certain legendary villain of Ghostbusters lore: the Stay Puft marshmallow man.
NASA Sun, Space & Scream
·
Oct 26, 2022
@NASASun
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Say cheese! Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun "smiling." Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the Sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space.
Watt on Earth Four ( it / that )
@Watt_on_Earth4
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Is that the face of the Stay Puff marshmellow man from Ghostbusters?
7:34 PM · Oct 26, 2022
Yes, it really is quite the coincidence.
The phrase 'separated at birth' even springs to mind, even if it's just another example of people seeing something that isn't really there.
But even if this is just a meaningless, random confluence of mysterious solar physics, that doesn't mean we shouldn't get a laugh out of it.
So enjoy! And always try to look for the positives in life wherever you can.
Let the Sun be your shining example.
https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-spotted-the-sun-smiling-and-its-the-most-joyous-thing
Thanks to: https://www.sciencealert.com
Space28 October 2022
By Peter Dockrill
The smiling Sun. (NASA Sun/Twitter)
Sometimes an unexpected smile is all it takes to turn your day around. Well, that kind of cheery surprise doesn't get much bigger than this.
Astronomers at NASA have spotted the Sun beaming a remarkable, joyous grin, in a sunny spectacle destined to put a smile on your dial.
As shared on NASA's Sun Twitter account, this incredible image reveals the Sun looking positively radiant in more ways than one.
Of course, the 'smile' we see here isn't actually a real smile. What we're looking at are coronal holes (the dark patches), where fast bursts of solar wind gush out into space, as NASA explains.
The Sun caught smiling. (NASA Sun/Twitter)
It just so happens – amidst all the crazy solar fluctuations the Sun tends to exhibit – that two of these coronal holes kind of look like twinkling eyes, while a third uncannily resembles an exuberant smile.
What's really going on here is the phenomenon of pareidolia, where we imagine seeing things like faces in random patterns.
It's a trick of the mind, only this time it's being played out on a stupendous, Sun-sized scale.
As some keen-eyed Twitter users have observed, the Sun's visage here doesn't only look like a smiling face.
The particular proportions of that exultant grin bear a striking similarity to the facial configuration of a certain legendary villain of Ghostbusters lore: the Stay Puft marshmallow man.
NASA Sun, Space & Scream
·
Oct 26, 2022
@NASASun
·
Follow
Say cheese! Today, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the Sun "smiling." Seen in ultraviolet light, these dark patches on the Sun are known as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space.
Watt on Earth Four ( it / that )
@Watt_on_Earth4
·
Follow
Is that the face of the Stay Puff marshmellow man from Ghostbusters?
7:34 PM · Oct 26, 2022
Yes, it really is quite the coincidence.
The phrase 'separated at birth' even springs to mind, even if it's just another example of people seeing something that isn't really there.
But even if this is just a meaningless, random confluence of mysterious solar physics, that doesn't mean we shouldn't get a laugh out of it.
So enjoy! And always try to look for the positives in life wherever you can.
Let the Sun be your shining example.
https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-spotted-the-sun-smiling-and-its-the-most-joyous-thing
Thanks to: https://www.sciencealert.com