The Sun in all of its Glory

Wow, these pictures speak for themselves. These came from a gallery post of 21 pictures here. Additionally, the SDAC or Solar Data Analysis Center at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland USA has a page dedicated to the Sun and its many different faces.

Their site is found here showing many more views.

In 2006 NASA launched the STEREO mission to study the sun in 3D. An excerpt from their website explaining the mission is below:

STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is the third mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program (STP). This two-year mission, launched October 2006, will provide a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun-Earth System. The two nearly identical observatories - one ahead of Earth in its orbit, the other trailing behind - will trace the flow of energy and matter from the Sun to Earth. They will reveal the 3D structure of coronal mass ejections; violent eruptions of matter from the sun that can disrupt satellites and power grids, and help us understand why they happen. STEREO will become a key addition to the fleet of space weather detection satellites by providing more accurate alerts for the arrival time of Earth-directed solar ejections with its unique side-viewing perspective.

For additional information about that mission, follow this link.