Skip Navigation

Resources

Slices of the Sun

The Sun visualized in multiple pie slice wavelengths.
Source: NASA/GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio
Published: December 24, 2013

This composite image of the Sun reveals the entire solar atmosphere in multiple wavelengths.

This is an awesome image of the Sun through SDO’s many filters. It is one of my favorites.
- Peg Luce, NASA Heliophysics Division Director (Acting)

Each color represents a different wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light present in the Sun's corona. The wavelengths in turn correlate to material of different temperatures, resulting sometimes in completely different views of the same sun.

Scientists examine the combined images to reveal the solar atmosphere in all its detail.

› More: Solar Dynamics Observatory - Argo view - Slices of SDO

Label pie slices of solar view wavelengths.
A graphical key to the wavelengths of each part of the image. Note that this key maps the dominant color table to the wavelength, not the position in the graphic.

ENLARGE

Related

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has spiraled closer and closer to the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. These images were obtained by Dawn's framing camera in the three phases of its campaign since arriv...
More
Closer and Closer to the Vesta Surface
Closer and Closer to the Vesta Surface
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe to touch the Sun, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Parker...
More
rocket engines burning
Parker Solar Probe Launch
This illustrated timeline features milestones in the journey of NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
More
This illustrated timeline features milestones in the journey of NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Scroll up to launch Cassini's voyage.
Cassini's Timeline Poster
This artist's rendering shows a cross-section of the surface and subsurface of Saturn's moon Titan, with a possible model for the structure of underground liquid reservoirs there.
More
This artist's rendering shows a cross-section of the surface and subsurface of Saturn's moon Titan, with a possible model for the structure of underground liquid reservoirs there.
Titan's Subsurface Reservoirs -- Unannotated
In the lower left portion of this image, the Earth can be seen, as well as the much smaller Moon to Earth's right.
More
In the lower left portion of this image, the Earth can be seen, as well as the much smaller Moon to Earth's right.
Earth and Moon from 114 Million Miles
A target of intense interest to Cassini mission scientists is Enceladus, whose wrinkled and frozen crescent is seen here with Saturn's rings. The planet's dark shadow bisects the ringscape. The il...
More
Enceladus near a part of Saturn's rings
Wrinkled Crescent
Tethys appears to be peeking out from behind Rhea, watching the watcher.
More
Tethys and Rhea
Tethys the Spy
                  Titan's Complex Surface October 27, 2004   Full-Res: PIA06983   This image taken by Cassini's visual and...
More
Titan's Complex Surface
Titan's Complex Surface
This Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) image, taken Sept. 18, 2009, shows a view of Saturn as it passes behind the sun, Cassini spacecraft in tow. Saturn Superior Conjunction is underwa...
More
Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)image, taken Sept. 18, 2009
Saturn and Cassini's Annual Pass Behind the Sun
Jupiter's main ring is a narrow structure about 6,000 kilometers (about 3,700 miles) in width and about 100,000 times fainter than the planet it encircles. These are the first pictures that NASA'...
More
Jupiter's Ring
Jupiter's Ring
The most prominent jets of vapor and icy particles emerging from the south polar terrain of Saturn’s moon Enceladus are shown here in graphical form in a movie clip of a “rotating” Enceladus. A ...
More
Enceladus' Jets
Enceladus' Jets
This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on June 13, 2016, shows terrain at the equator of Ceres. The image is centered at 0 degrees latitude, 291 degrees east longitude.
More
Dawn LAMO Image 206
Dawn LAMO Image 206
Fresh from an encounter with Saturn's F ring, the moon Prometheus continues in its orbit. The gravity of potato-shaped Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) periodically creates streamer-...
More
Fresh from an encounter with Saturn's F ring, the moon Prometheus continues in its orbit.
On His Merry Way
Titan's high haze layers are amazing. Cassini captured this detailed view of the relatively faint haze in Titan's upper atmosphere as it receded from its close encounter on March 31, 2005. Similar...
More
Titan's High Hazes
Titan's High Hazes
Saturn's moon Enceladus reflects sunlight brightly while the planet and its rings fill the background of this Cassini view.
More
Saturn's moon Enceladus reflects sunlight brightly while the planet and its rings fill the background of this Cassini view.
Bright Enceladus
Saturn's moon Rhea is gently lit in front of a background of the planet with a wide shadow cast by the rings which are seen nearly edge-on. This view looks toward the anti-Saturn side of Rhea (1,5...
More
Rhea in front of Saturn
Rhea, Rings and Shadow
Voyager 2's post-encounter view of Neptune's south pole as the spacecraft sped away on a southward trajectory.
More
Voyager 2's post-encounter view of Neptune's south pole as the spacecraft sped away on a southward trajectory.
Post-encounter View of Neptune's South Pole
Although difficult to see at first, more than one moon is at work sculpting Saturn's rings in this view from the Cassini spacecraft. Prometheus (102 kilometers, or 63 miles across) is more or less...
More
Saturn's ring
Two Sculptors
New insights into the nature of Saturn’s rings are revealed in this panoramic mosaic of 15 images taken during the planet’s August 2009 equinox.
More
New insights into the nature of Saturn’s rings are revealed in this panoramic mosaic of 15 images taken during the planet’s August 2009 equinox.
Ring Scan Spilling Secrets
This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 16, 2015, from a distance of 4,500 miles (7,200 kilometers).
More
Dawn OpNav8 Image 3
Dawn OpNav8 Image 3
This composite image shows an infrared view of Saturn's moon Titan from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, acquired during the mission's "T-114" flyby on Nov. 13, 2015.
More
This composite image shows an infrared view of Saturn's moon Titan from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, acquired during the mission's "T-114" flyby on Nov. 13, 2015.
Peering Through Titan's Haze
This stirring scene captures some of the grandeur of the Saturn system while also allowing a simultaneous glimpse beneath the hazes that cover both Saturn and Titan. The infrared view reveals brig...
More
Saturn and Titan
Window Into Worlds
Presented here is a complete set of cartographic map sheets from a high-resolution Tethys atlas, a project of the Cassini Imaging Team. The map sheets form a 15-quadrangle series covering the en...
More
Tethys atlas
The Tethys Atlas
This sequence of color-enhanced images shows how quickly the viewing geometry changes for NASA's Juno spacecraft as it swoops by Jupiter.
More
This sequence of color-enhanced images shows how quickly the viewing geometry changes for NASA's Juno spacecraft as it swoops by Jupiter.
95 Minutes Over Jupiter
Scientists think Bennu is part of a larger body that broke apart. This artist’s concept shows that event. 
More
Artist's concept of asteroids in space
Part of a Larger Body

You Might Also Like