text: The first high-resolution footage of solar flux ropes on the sun has been revealed. In the fascinating video, twisting groups of magnetic fields can be seen writhing around. And with the new images it may be possible to further understand their evolution and how they cause space weather. Research led by a scientist at the New Jersey Institute of Technology has revealed the first high-resolution footage of a solar flux 'rope' taking shape on the sun, shown in this still image . The new footage was revealed in a paper in Nature Communications led by Dr Haimin Wang from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. A solar flare accompanies the twisting flux rope in the footage, which moves around a common axis before bursting from the sun. They are essentially twisted bundles of magnetic field that extend out of and back into the surface across hundreds of kilometres. As common structures in the solar corona, they are thought to be the main cause of several types of solar weather - including solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The formation of a flux rope can take weeks, but the  moment when it is flung into the atmosphere can take just a matter of hours. Solar flares can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost. Astronauts are not in immediate danger because of the relatively low orbit of this manned mission. They do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks. The charged particles can also threaten airlines by disturbing the Earth's magnetic field. Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies. A positive aspect, from an aesthetic point of view, is that the auroras are enhanced. Geomagnetic storms are more disruptive now than in the past because of our greater dependence on technical systems that can be affected by electric currents. In the video, twisting groups of magnetic fields writhe around a central axis, and the rope ultimately causes a bright flash - a solar flare - to form, shown here . Dr Wang and his colleagues made the findings using the 5.2ft (1.6 metres) New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory in California. They describe an S-shaped bundle of magnetic fields, from which a set of loops peel off and grow upward into a multi-stranded flux rope in just two minutes. Two flare ribbons also appear at the point where the rope joins the solar atmosphere. It is hoped the study, which shows a flux rope in unprecedented detail, could help increase understanding on how they form - and how they are related to solar eruptions. ‘In the large scale, magnetic flux ropes are found in the interplanetary magnetic clouds, which may interact with Earth’s magnetic field to generate geomagnetic storms,’ the researchers wrote in their paper. Solar flux ropes are common structures in the solar corona, and they are thought to be the main cause of several types of solar weather – including solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), pictured .
target: New Jersey Institute of Technology research reveals stunning video .
  It shows a solar flux 'rope' taking shape on the sun .
  Twisting groups of magnetic fields writhe around a central axis .
  And the rope ultimately causes a bright flash - a solar flare - to form .