Our Joyous Sun

28 October 2022
Habiba Yehia

Sometimes all it takes is an unexpected smile to brighten your day. That kind of
happy surprise doesn't come much
bigger than this.
NASA astronomers have discovered
the Sun with a remarkable, joyful grin,
in a sunny spectacle guaranteed to
put a smile on your face.
Of course, the 'smile' we are seeing
isn't a real one. As NASA explains,
these are coronal holes (the dark patches) where fast bursts of solar wind erupt
into space.
What's going on here is a case of pareidolia, which occurs when we imagine
seeing things like faces in random patterns.
It's a mental trick, but this time it's played out on a massive, Sun-sized scale.
Some keen-eyed Twitter users noticed that the Sun's visage here doesn't just
look like a smiling face, as shared on NASA's Sun Twitter account.
The proportions of that triumphant grin are strikingly
similar to those of a certain legendary villain from
Ghostbusters lore: the Stay Puft marshmallow man.
Yes, it is a remarkable coincidence.
Even the phrase "separated at birth" comes to mind,
even if it's just another case of people seeing something
that isn't there.
But even if this is just a meaningless, random confluence
of mysterious solar physics, we shouldn't laugh about it.
Always try to look for the positives in life wherever you
can.
Allow the Sun to be your shining example.

This research was made with the help of Peter Dockrill.

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-spotted-the-sun-smiling-and-its-the-most-joyous-thing
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FgCT6mfaUAEJw-k?format=jpg&name=small
https://petapixel.com/2022/10/28/nasa-captures-the-sun-smiling-but-it-could-spell-trouble-for-earth/