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Dynamic Active Region

A relatively small but growing active region illustrated the fierce battle of magnetic fields as they connect and reconnect and struggle over a little more than one day (May 30-31, 2016). As we observe it close-up in extreme ultraviolet light, we can see the magnetic field lines shift and change very quickly. The field lines are visible because charged particles, visible in this wavelength, are spinning along the magnetic arcs reaching between areas of opposite polarities. The area was the source of numerous small eruptions, including one or two solar flares. Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA.

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