NASA Releases Explosive Sun Shots

NASA has released astounding new photos and videos of the sun for the first time revealing high definition, close-up views of the solar surface and exploding flares. The images were captured by the space telescope of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and are providing historic new insight into sun mechanics, notes the Melbourne Herald Sun.

"These initial images show a dynamic sun that I had never seen in more than 40 years of solar research,” said NASA Heliophysics Division director Richard Fisher. The solar observatory "will change our understanding of the sun and its processes. This mission will have a huge impact on science." The satellite operation is on a 5-year mission to examine the sun's magnetic field and the star's impact on Earth's atmosphere and climate. It's capable of snapping photos 10 times clearer than high-definition TV. (More NASA stories.)