NASA Van Gough Sun

NASA Video: Van Gogh Sun

Data of the Sun from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) can resemble impressionist style paintings. The visualization on the right (based on the image on the left) uses specific colors to describe which areas on the sun cooled or heated over a 12-hour period. The visualization is the result of a new technique created by Dr. Nicholeen Viall, a solar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She creates images of the sun reminiscent of Van Gogh, using broad strokes of bright color splashed across a yellow background. But it's science, not art. The color of each pixel contains information about the 12-hour history of cooling and heating at that particular spot on the sun. Dr. Viall explains her interesting technique in the following video: 


View the video Here