Don't look at the sun

Posted on Thursday 29 July 2004 to Quintessence

or you will go blind... and insane.

I know Jason hates these things but I made this three dimensional view of the sun by grabbing two frames from this video. You can (hopefully) see the 3D effect by sitting back and letting your eyes cross until they form a single image. It may take a little while before you can get your eyes to focus.

(Note: no liability whatsoever will accepted for any irrepairable eye strain that may or may not be caused following or not following these instructions).



These frames were taken by the SOHO Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. As the dates show they were taken ten hours apart during late October 2003. This was a period when the sun was undergoing a peak of intense sunspot activity. Here's a bigger one taken from the day before.

This week has also been a big week for sunspots. Check here for the latest images and movies.