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Credit & Copyright: jp-Brahic
Explanation:
Dramatic prominences can sometimes be seen looming just beyond the edge of the sun.
Such was the case last week as a large prominence,
visible above, highlighted a highly active recent Sun.
A waving sea of hot gas
is visible in the foreground chromosphere in great detail as it was imaged in one
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, illustrated in the inset,
is smaller than the prominence.
Although very hot, prominences typically
appear dark when viewed against the
Sun,
since they are slightly cooler than the
photosphere below them.
A quiescent prominence
typically lasts about a month, and may
erupt in a
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) expelling hot gas into the
Solar System, some of which may strike the Earth and trigger
auroras.
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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 - solar maximum
Publications with words: Sun - solar maximum
See also:
- APOD: 2024 May 28 Á Solar X Flare as Famous Active Region Returns
- APOD: 2024 May 26 Á A Solar Filament Erupts
- APOD: 2024 February 19 Á Looking Sideways from the Parker Solar Probe
- Circling the Sun
- APOD: 2023 December 11 Á Solar Minimum versus Solar Maximum
- APOD: 2023 November 19 Á Space Station, Solar Prominences, Sun
- APOD: 2023 October 25 Á Gone in 60 Seconds: A Green Flash Sunset