NASA releases new picture of the sun provided by 3 telescopes

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Friday, February 17, 2023
New composite image of the sun
Scientists put together a composite photo of the sun using images from three telescopes.

NEW YORK -- A new view of the sun shows light that people can't see.

Scientists put together a composite photo using images from three telescopes.

Combined, the photos could offer clues as to why the sun's outer atmosphere is at least 100 times hotter than the surface.

Astronomers think it could be due to nano-flares, which are small eruptions in the sun's atmosphere.

Nano-flares are too faint to stand out from the sun's brightness, but NASA's NuSTAR telescope can detect them.

NuSTAR's data helps scientists monitor how frequently nano-flares happen.

That's important information to know since those events can affect the power grid, satellites, GPS, airlines, rockets, and astronauts in space.

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