Solar Tornado 14-Earths-tall raining Moon-sized gobs of incandescent material on the Sun

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto"

Spectacular footage from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a Solar Tornado reaching the height of 14 Earths doing its thing over 3 days on the Sun last month.


Footage of the Tornado from citizen scientist Andrew McCarthy from his backyard solar telescope in Arizona.

I spent 3 hours yesterday with my solar telescope pointed at a tall tornado-y looking thing on the sun. This 14-Earths-tall swirling column of plasma was raining moon-sized gobs of incandescent material on the sun. I can't imagine a more hellish place.
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No reports of casualties.

As the scorpion alien continued to struggle against the immense magnetic force of the sun, its form began to flicker and distort, as if it was being torn apart at a molecular level. The entity emitted a piercing screech, sending shockwaves through the vacuum of space, as it desperately tried to regain its footing.

Despite its efforts, the scorpion alien began to lose its battle with the sun's magnetic field, and its form began to dissipate into a cloud of glowing particles. The particles danced and swirled around the sun, seemingly energized by its powerful magnetic force.

Suddenly, a blinding burst of light erupted from the center of the cloud, and a new form emerged. It was a humanoid figure, with a sleek, metallic body that gleamed in the sun's rays. Its face was obscured by a helmet, but its eyes burned with an intense, otherworldly glow.

The new entity seemed to be in control of the swirling particles, and it began to manipulate them with ease, directing them towards the sun. As it did so, the sun's magnetic field began to weaken, and the entity began to draw power from the star.

The scorpion alien had been defeated, but a new, even more powerful entity had emerged in its place. And as it continued to draw energy from the sun, its true intentions remained a mystery.

a reply to: Spacespider

And the Earth froze as the Sun turned Black.

a reply to: gortex

Is that an uncommon occurrence? Seems impressive to me.

a reply to: chris_stibrany

No, it happens all the time. You can see smaller tornadoes to the left of the big one. The magnetic lines twist and bring up plasma with them. Eventually that ejected material follows the magnetic loop and returns to the star. You can see the loop light up at the end, and the tornado disappears once the plasma follows the loop and returns.

This is a continual process because the sun doesn't have a solid core like us with one stable magnetic field. There are many intersecting fields that twist and intertwine and when they do this happens.

well, with that music, it appears even more as a beautiful but haunting dance. It may be common but I've never seen anything like it before. Awesome video. Thanks so much!

a reply to: Spacespider

My friend... THAT IS A SHORT STORY!

Bravo! ....

Please try sharing that in the Short Story Forum, even if it's only 'just for fun.'....

I know I would love to see it there.

I bet everyone would!

a reply to: gortex

A fascinating watch.

But I wonder if calling it a 'tornado' is somewhat misleading (not intentionally) because that word implies, at least to me, something 'weather/atmospheric' when it seems, as Mahogany points out, that this is really a magnetic phenomenon, and the plasma follows the magnetic vortex in a way that has nothing to do with 'wind.'

Nevertheless, I will save this clip for myself... It makes me think.

It's so hard to even fathom the scale of things we're looking at here.

Mind-boggling, truly, I'm trying to imagine a 14 earth tall plasma tornado.

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