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Credit & Copyright: Pete Lawrence
Explanation:
What's happening at the edge of the Sun?
Although it may look like a
monster is rampaging,
what is pictured is actually only a monster prominence -- a sheath of thin gas held
above the surface by the
Sun's magnetic field.
The solar event was captured just this past weekend with a small telescope, with
the resulting image then
inverted and
false-colored.
As indicated with illustrative lines, the
prominence
rises over 50,000 kilometers above the
Sun's surface,
making even our 12,700-diameter
Earth seem
small by comparison.
Below the
monster prominence is
active region 12585,
while light colored filaments can be seen hovering over a flowing
solar carpet of fibrils.
Filaments are actually prominences seen against the disk of the Sun, while similarly,
fibrils are actually spicules
seen against the disk.
Energetic events like this are becoming less common as the Sun evolves toward a minimum
in its
11-year activity cycle.
Free Download:
APOD 2017 Calendar: NASA Images
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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:
- 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
- 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