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Posted: 2014-10-11T22:01:19Z | Updated: 2017-12-07T03:20:09Z The Sun Looks Uncannily Like A Jack-O-Lantern, Just In Time For Halloween | HuffPost

The Sun Looks Uncannily Like A Jack-O-Lantern, Just In Time For Halloween

Even The Sun Is Getting Into The Halloween Spirit
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Halloween is on its way, and everyones starting to get into the festive spirit . Even the sun, it seems, wants to get in on the fun.

On Wednesday, the same day that skywatchers were treated to a full "blood moon," NASA captured a spooky image of the sun looking uncannily like a glowing jack-o-lantern.

(Story continues below.)

Active regions on the sun combined to look something like a jack-o-lanterns face on Oct. 8, NASA said in a written statement. The active regions appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy -- markers of an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the suns atmosphere, the corona.

NASA uses specialized instruments to observe the sun in different wavelengths of light, allowing scientists to observe light that can't be seen by the naked eye.

The image, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory , is a composite which shows the sun in a blend of two wavelengths (171 and 193 Angstroms). Extreme ultraviolet light of 171 Angstroms shows the sun's atmosphere, or corona, when it's quiet, while 193 Angstroms shows hotter regions of the corona, according to NASA.

Scroll down to the see more images of the Oct. 8 "jack-o-lantern" sun in other wavelengths.

335 Angstroms
NASA/SDO
193 Angstroms
NASA/SDO
304 Angstroms
NASA/SDO

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Before You Go

The Many Faces Of The Sun
(01 of08)
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(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(02 of08)
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(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(03 of08)
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(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(04 of08)
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(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(05 of08)
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(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(06 of08)
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(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(07 of08)
Open Image Modal
(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)
(08 of08)
Open Image Modal
(credit:NASA/SDO/GODDARD SPACE CENTER)