Equinox and Eruptive Prominence
Explanation:
Today, the Sun crosses the
celestial equator and
seasons change from Summer to Fall
in the north and Winter to Spring in the southern hemisphere.
Defined by the Sun's position in sky
the event is known as an equinox -
the length of daylight is
equal to the length of night.
Just last week
the active Sun produced the dramatic eruptive
prominence
seen in this extreme
ultraviolet picture from the space-based
SOHO observatory.
The hot plasma is lofted above the solar surface by
twisting
magnetic fields.
How big is the prominence?
Click on the image to view the larger full-sun picture.
At the same scale,
planet Earth would likely still appear smaller than
your cursor.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
