Solar probe films plasma loops in action – 30 November 2006 – New Scientist
This is several days old but is cool enough to be worth mentioning Hinode, the Sun probe, which captured some up close and personal plasma loop action… oh those clever Japanese. 
Flickering loops of plasma above the Sun’s churning surface have been captured in movies made by Japan’s Hinode spacecraft, providing a preview of what the probe will do once it begins its main phase of scientific observations.
The spacecraft, formerly called Solar-B, was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on 22 September 2006 (see Spacecraft launches to study Sun’s magnetic field). JAXA is collaborating with NASA, ESA, and other organisations for the mission.
Hinode’s three telescopes will make simultaneous observations in visible light, ultraviolet, and X-rays to help scientists understand the Sun’s ever-changing magnetic field. It is hoped that its observations will shed light on what triggers solar eruptions – called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These ejections spew out radiation that poses a health risk for astronauts and they can also knock out satellites.
One video, made with Hinode’s optical telescope, shows the development of loops of hot plasma above the Sun’s surface (mpeg format). The loops form when especially hot plasma rises from the surface and moves along the Sun’s curved magnetic field lines. In some cases the gas quickly cools again and falls back down to the surface. [Read on]