NASA has released a stunning ultra-HD video of the sun, and it really is 'thermonuclear art'

NASA has a gorgeous new look at our sun, in ultra HD

(Image credit: NASA/YouTube)

You're not supposed to stare at the sun, but NASA not only gives us permission in this 4K ultra-high-definition video of the star at the center of our solar system, it ladles out some supremely beautiful eye candy. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite has been watching the sun around the clock since early 2010, and the video below shows some highlights, run through filters to show each of the 10 wavelengths recorded by SDO cameras. Each wavelength is given a different color, "which helps highlight a different temperature of solar material," NASA explains.

SDO calls the video "Thermonuclear Art," which seems about right, adding that it gives Earthlings a view of "the nuclear fire of our life-giving star in intimate detail, offering new perspective into our own relationships with grand forces of the solar system." It took the crew at NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio 10 hours to prepare each minute of this 30-minute beauty, so if you want to see it in all its 4K glory, click on the gear icon below and set the video quality to the highest setting:

And if you don't have the time or inclination to watch NASA's 30-minute work of celestial art, Reuters has edited it down to less than a minute. Enjoy. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.