When an active region rotated into a profile view, SDO was able to capture the magnificent loops arching above an active region (Sept. 28-29, 2016). Active region are areas of strong magnetic fields. The magnetic field lines above these regions are illuminated by charged particles spiraling along them. The images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. The video covers 12 hours of activity. The Earth was inset to give a sense of the scale of these towering arches.

Movies
PIA21101_171loops_close_Sept_big.mp4
PIA21101_171loops_close_Sept_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.