NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Looking at the sun helps show how the lines between science and art can sometimes blur. A gradient filter enhances areas of contrast, which makes them both more striking visually and also easier for astronomers to study. Scientists can get a better look at coronal loops, for example — giant arcs of solar material that travel along magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere. This can lead to an improved understanding of solar magnetism as a whole, which can also power eruptions on the sun such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections.