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Credit & Copyright: Alan Friedman
(Averted Imagination)
Explanation:
Dramatic prominences can sometimes be seen looming just beyond the edge of the sun.
Such was the case last week as a giant prominence,
visible above on the right, highlighted a Sun showing increased
activity as it comes off an unusually quiet Solar
Minimum.
A changing carpet of hot gas is visible in the
chromosphere
of the Sun in the
above image taken in a very
specific color
of light emitted by hydrogen.
A solar prominence is a cloud of solar gas held
just above the surface by the
Sun's magnetic field.
The Earth would easily fit below the
prominence on the right.
Although very hot, prominences typically
appear dark when viewed against the
Sun,
since they are slightly cooler than the surface.
A quiescent prominence
typically lasts about a month, and may
erupt in a
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) expelling hot gas into the
Solar System.
The next day, the
same prominence looked slightly different.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Sun - prominence
Publications with words: Sun - prominence
See also:
- APOD: 2024 September 2 Á A Triangular Prominence Hovers Over the Sun
- APOD: 2024 August 18 Á A Solar Prominence Eruption from SDO
- APOD: 2024 August 4 Á Gaia: Here Comes the Sun
- APOD: 2024 July 28 Á Sun Dance
- Prominences and Filaments on the Active Sun
- APOD: 2024 May 28 Á Solar X Flare as Famous Active Region Returns
- APOD: 2024 May 26 Á A Solar Filament Erupts