Towering arches seen over the Sun

Saturday, April 16, 2016, 12:26 PM - The sun's sheer size makes it hard to comprehend how enormous those arches are in the video above.

They're actually magnetic field lines towering over the sun's surface, captured by NASA's orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 5-6 this year.

NASA says the field lines became visible as a pair of active surface regions, which are areas where the sun's magnetic field is concentrated, rotated into the satellite's view, but if you were an astronaut near the star at the heart of our solar system, you wouldn't necessarily be able to see them with the naked eye.

"Charged particles spiraling along these magnetic fields emit extreme ultraviolet light, which is typically not visible to our eyes, but colorized here in gold," NASA explained when it released the video this week. "The light given off from the particles helps trace out the magnetic field lines, which are otherwise invisible."

NASA says observers aren't quite sure yet where in the massive star the magnetic field is generated, but it has a huge impact on our solar system. It is the source of coronal mass ejections that emit charged particles toward Earth, manifesting as auroras in higher latitudes, as well as being responsible for the interplanetary radiation that jets through the solar system.

Earth's own magnetic field, which of course is much smaller, helps deflect much of the solar wind, keeping it from stripping away the protective ozone layer.

BONUS: What's the sun telling us? Our meteorologist explains

NOW ON YOUTUBE: Subscribe to The Weather Network's YouTube channel for access to the best weather-related videos in Canada VIEW THE CHANNEL | VIEWER VIDEOS | POPULAR NOW | SUBSCRIBE