What's hotter than the surface of the sun? Well, for one, the enormous fountains of multimillion-degree electrified gas that make up the star's corona.

A set of stunning pictures recently taken by NASA's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft expose the source of the sun's most spectacular heat: The plumes that rise and fall within 10,000 miles of the sun's surface. Scientists began this endeavor with hopes of uncovering the origins of solar flares; gathering information on these explosions, which make up the corona visible from Earth, will help scientists sidestep their potential to disrupt high-tech systems on our planet, and will also illuminate the study of other, more distant stars.

COURTSEY OF TRACE VIA NASA

For more information: NASA web site

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