From the final journey of Space Shuttle Endeavour to the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, view our monthly roundup of cosmic highlights from October 2012.
Window on Infinity: Pictures from Space
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Looking at the sun helps show how the lines between science and art can sometimes blur. A gradient filter enhances areas of contrast, which makes them both more striking visually and also easier for astronomers to study. Scientists can get a better look at coronal loops, for example — giant arcs of solar material that travel along magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere. This can lead to an improved understanding of solar magnetism as a whole, which can also power eruptions on the sun such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections.
