<p dir="ltr"><strong>High-energy x-rays burst from the <a href="http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/sun-article/">sun</a> in this image taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array.</strong></p><p>The x-rays are courtesy of gas heated to over 3 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 million degrees Celsius). The sun's magnetic field guides the path of the resulting energy streams into loops and swirls. (Learn more about the image in "<a href="http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/22/nustar-stares-at-a-new-star/">NuSTAR Stares at a New Star</a>.")</p><p><em>—By Jane J. Lee, photo gallery by Nicole Werbeck</em></p>
Solar Marble
High-energy x-rays burst from the sun in this image taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array.
The x-rays are courtesy of gas heated to over 3 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 million degrees Celsius). The sun's magnetic field guides the path of the resulting energy streams into loops and swirls. (Learn more about the image in "NuSTAR Stares at a New Star.")
—By Jane J. Lee, photo gallery by Nicole Werbeck
Week's Best Space Pictures: Saturn's Rings Go Dark, X-Rays Burst, and a Skyline Burns
Cassini views Saturn's rings in a different light, x-rays flare from the sun, and a city's skyline stands out against a fiery sunset.
