X Ray Triple Jet
Explanation:
Recorded on July 7,
this animation using
X-ray
images
of the Sun shows
an amazing event - three nearly simultaneous jets connected with
solar active regions.
The two frames were taken several hours apart by the
Soft X-ray Telescope on board
the orbiting Yohkoh observatory.
They have a "negative" color scheme,
the darker colors representing more intense X-rays from
the corona and
active regions on the solar
surface.
The pictures clearly show two curving jets of X-ray hot plasma
appearing above the solar equator and one below.
A sharp vertical
stripe near the jet above center is a digital blemish
while the overall shift of the image is due to
solar rotation.
As the Sun is now approaching
the active part of its 11 year cycle, similar
single jets are seen every week or so.
But the appearance of these three widely separated jets
at once is considered an unlikely coincidence and is
fueling current speculations about their origins.
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.
