![Plasma jet on the Sun - August 31, 2012 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21422679](http://web.archive.org./web/20170626161936im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/x/p/q/3/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gwxpo7.png/1498266450994.jpg)
Decoding the mystery of the Sun's violent plasma eruptions
Spiky bursts of plasma called spicules swirl around the surface of the sun. Millions erupt every moment, spurting solar material some 6,000 miles high at speeds of about 60 miles per second.