Arches of magnetic field lines towered over the edge of the Sun as a pair of active regions began to rotate into view (Apr. 5-6, 2016). Charged particles spiraling along the field lines make the lines visible when viewed in this wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Active regions are intense areas of competing magnetic forces that are embedded below the Sun's surface. The video clip covers about 30 hours of activity.

Movies
Towering Arches171_big.mp4
Towering Arches171_sm.mp4

SDO is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Its Atmosphere Imaging Assembly was built by the Lockheed Martin Solar Astrophysics Laboratory (LMSAL), Palo Alto, California.