It Came from the Sun
Explanation:
What's that
coming over the edge of the Sun?
What might appear at first glance to be some sort of
Sun monster
is actually a
solar prominence.
The
above prominence, captured by the Sun-orbiting SOHO satellite
earlier this year during an early stage of
its eruption, rapidly became one of the
largest ever on record.
Even as pictured, the prominence is huge -- the
Earth would easily fit inside.
A
solar prominence is a thin cloud of solar gas held
just above the surface by the
Sun's
magnetic field.
A
quiescent prominence
typically lasts about a month, while an
eruptive prominence like
the one developing above may erupt within hours into a
Coronal Mass Ejection
(CME), expelling hot gas into the
Solar System.
Although very hot, prominences typically
appear dark when viewed against the
Sun,
since they are slightly cooler than the surface.
As our Sun evolves toward
Solar maximum
over the next three years, more
large eruptive prominences
are expected.
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.
