Ray of joy: Nasa captures image of the sun ‘smiling’

The US space agency said the sun was "smiling" after a satellite captured an image of a happy face.

On Wednesday, the agency posted a picture of the sun on its website. The dark patches on the sun are referred to as coronal holes and are regions where fast solar wind gushes out into space.

The mission of the Solar Dynamics Observatory is to investigate how solar activity is created. The sun's interior, atmosphere, magnetic field and energy output are measured by the observatory's telescope.

Many people have compared the image to a carved pumpkin, a lion and the sun in a children's show, since it was released.

The user asked if that was the face of the Stay Puf man from Ghostbusters.

One person compared the sun to a chocolate biscuit with smiling faces.

Experts warn that the sun may cause a storm on Saturday. The sun is sending a triple stream of solar wind towards Earth.

Solar storms are eruptions of mass and energy from the sun that affect the Earth's magnetic field. These storms increase the visibility of the polar lights in the north and south.