Erupting Sun
Explanation:
On August 27th
twisting magnetic fields
propelled this huge eruptive prominence
a hundred thousand miles above
the Sun's surface.
The seething plasma of ionized gases is at a temperature of about 150,000
degrees Farenheit and spans over 200,000 miles (about 27 Earths).
The
Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the space-based
SOHO observatory recorded
this exquisitely detailed image in the light of ionized
Helium atoms from its
vantage point in a Halo orbit.
This is the largest
solar prominence observed by SOHO instruments
since they began
exploring solar phenomena in early 1996.
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.