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That’s Hot: Check Out This Video of the Sun’s Corona in All Its Glory

The corona dances playfully as its temperatures approach 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit.

Last month’s total solar eclipse wasn’t the only fun with the sun skygazers are enjoying this year. The European Science Agency has just dropped a hot new video of the sun’s corona, which is the upper layer of the sun’s atmosphere. The agency’s solar orbiter recorded the footage on Sept. 23, 2023, and the group has annotated the 30-second video to give viewers some context into what they’re looking at. 

Just a few seconds in, you’ll get a glimpse of some coronal moss, a bright gas that makes lacy patterns across the sun. A few seconds later, the ESA points out spicules along the horizon — spires of gas that reach up through the sun’s chromosphere. These spires can reach heights of 10,000 kilometers, or approximately 6,200 miles. The video also captures what appears to be a small eruption at the 22-second mark. «Small» is relative, as the ESA notes that the eruption was larger than Earth. 

Read more: How an Apple Watch Saved the Solar Eclipse for Me

The clip ends with a glimpse of coronal rain, which is made up of high-density clumps of plasma that sizzles at a temperature around 10,000 degrees Celsius (18,032 Fahrenheit). For context, the brighter coronal loop around the rain is burning at 1 million degrees Celsius (1.8 million Fahrenheit). In short, rain showers on the sun are insane. 

Snake crossing the sun

As a whole, this is some of the best video footage we puny humans have ever seen of the sun. It comes courtesy of the ESA’s solar orbiter and its extreme ultraviolet imager, launched as part of the agency’s mission to capture close-up images of the sun in ways never before seen. The mission began in 2020 with the launch of the solar orbiter, and nabbed amazing images of the sun in 2022, along with some footage of Earth, Mars and Venus. 

Arguably, the most intense footage so far was that of a massive solar eruption that extended millions of kilometers into space, and later footage that looks like a snake slithering across the sun. According to NASA, which assists the ESA, the snake effect was caused by the intermingling of plasma and the sun’s magnetic field. 

The mission has also given us the first-ever close-up images of the sun’s polar regions and measurements of the sun’s solar winds that were impossible to take on Earth. 

Read more: Total Solar Eclipse 2024: The Best Photos We’ve Seen

Technologies

Sony Hits the Brakes on Electric Cars With Built-In PlayStation Features

Two EV models that Sony was developing with Honda, the Afeels 1 sedan and an Afeela SUV, are now discontinued.

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Samsung’s New Budget Galaxy A37 and A57: Improved Designs and AI Features

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Technologies

My 3 Favorite Bose Headphones Deals on Amazon Aren’t Actually From Bose

Baseus’ Inspire XH1, XP1 and XC1 headphones with Sound by Bose are up to 23% off during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale. A bonus item makes the deal even harder to ignore.

I gave CNET Editors’ Choice awards to Baseus’ Bose-infused Baseus Inspire XH1 headphones and Inspire XP1 earbuds because they’re well designed and sound decent consider their prices. I also liked Baseus’ Inspire XC1 clip-on earbuds, which have dual drivers. They even earned a spot on CNET’s best clip-on earbuds list and are probably the best clip-on buds at their price right now.  

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale just kicked off, and it’ll be around through March 31. Right now, all three models are discounted to $100 to $123, bringing them near their all-time low prices. 

That’s a deal I’d highlight on its own, but if you click through to any of those models’ Amazon product pages and look closely, you’ll see that each is eligible for «one free item» with purchase. 

Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2026

You must click the how to claim link first. Then click a button on the left side of the screen (above the stars for average ratings) to switch the view from «qualifying items» to «benefit items» and see the freebie. The items tend to be Baseus’ entry-level headphones or earbuds, but if you don’t like the free item option with a $120 purchase, you can try the options at lower prices.   

You can read my full reviews of the Inspire XH1 headphones here and the Inspire XP1 earbuds here. And here’s my quick take on the Inspire XC1 earbuds:

Like Baseus’ noise-isolating Inspire XP1 earbuds, which I rated highly, the Inspire XC1 have Sound by Bose and a more premium design than earlier Baseus earbuds. The XC1 don’t sound as good as the XP1, they’re decent open earbuds and are equipped with dual drivers (one is a Knowles balanced-armature driver that helps improve treble performance). While they don’t produce as much bass as noise-isolating earbuds like the Inspire XP1, their bass performance is better than I expected. The buds’ sound is pretty full, especially in quieter environments, though they do better with less bass-heavy material. I did notice a bit of distortion at higher volumes with certain tracks that feature harder-driving bass.

While I slightly prefer the design and fit of Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, as well as the design of their case, and think the Bose buds sound more natural and a tad better overall, the much more affordable Inspire XC1 fit comfortably and offer top-tier sound for clip-on open earbuds, as well as decent voice-calling performance with good background noise reduction. And they play louder than the Bose, too.

You can grab the Inspire XH1 for $123, the XP1 for $100 and the XC1 for $110, saving you up to 23%. Just remember to claim your free item with your purchase.

Read more: Best Headphones We’ve Tested

For other audio deals happening now, our CNET shopping experts have rounded up headphones, speakers and earbuds deals across a variety of brands and budgets.

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