--- title: NASA: Sun's Streched Loops Displays Light Show description: NASA shared a video on Instagram of the sun's stretched loops, creating an incredible light show canonical: https://time.com/4700269/nasa-video-sun-light-show/ author: Madeline Farber article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-13T22:28:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-24T06:56:51.336Z article:section: Science og:title: Watch NASA's Video of the Sun Putting on an Incredible Light Show og:description: Also known as "stretched loops" og:url: https://time.com/4700269/nasa-video-sun-light-show/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ad457888754023f/6988be34fb4eac03f48911aa/screen-shot-2017-03-13-at-5-54-47-pm.png?branch=production&width=570&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 570 og:image:height: 321 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2017-03-13 at 5.54.47 PM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch NASA's Video of the Sun Putting on an Incredible Light Show twitter:description: Also known as "stretched loops" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ad457888754023f/6988be34fb4eac03f48911aa/screen-shot-2017-03-13-at-5-54-47-pm.png?branch=production&width=570&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch NASA's Video of the Sun Putting on an Incredible Light Show > Sponsored content. 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Also known as "stretched loops"_ by [Madeline Farber](https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/) ## Madeline Farber Mar 13, 2017 10:28 PM UTC by [Madeline Farber](https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/) ## Madeline Farber Mar 13, 2017 10:28 PM UTC On Monday, NASA released a[ new video](https://www.instagram.com/p/BRlWcs8hjjM/) of the sun putting on what looked like a magical light show, otherwise known as “stretched loops.” According to [NASA](http://www.thedrive.com/news/7921/nasa-may-put-astronauts-on-the-giant-sls-rockets-first-flight-at-trumps-request), the brilliant lights seen in the video happen when an active region of the [sun](http://time.com/collection-post/4571705/top-10-ya-childrens-books-2016/item/the-sun-is-also-a-star-nicola-yoon/) is rotated, showing its profile. When this occurs, the sun’s elongated loops stretch and sway above it. NASA says these loops are actually charged particles that are made visible by “extreme ultraviolet light.” When they’re moved along the magnetic field lines of the active region of the sun, you can see glimmering yellow lights. The video covers nearly 30 hours of activity. 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