Due to its very nature, our sun is a tricky thing to study in detail. Lucky for us that we have the power of advanced technology on our side, this time in the form of Japan’s Hinode satellite. Hinode has been in operation for almost two weeks, using special devices to take pictures of the solar surface. These early images are the equivalent of test runs, taken before the probe begins a full-scale scientific investigation of such mysteries as why the sun’s corona is actually hotter than its surface.