Combining solar storms (January 14, 2011)

Hi-res TIF image (2.8M)

Quicktime Movie: Large ( 12M), Small (1.5M)
MPEG Large (4.8M), Small (2.9M)

When we combine the narrower and broader fields of view of SOHO's coronagraphs, we can easily track in one image the path of two solar storms (likely coronal mass ejections) as they expand into space (Jan. 13-14, 2011). This combining of images is quite easy to do with the newly released JHelioviewer software, described in the recent Hot Shots web area here. Before that was released, the effort to overlay images was time-consuming and took a considerable level of skill. Both of these storms were identified as events from the far side of the Sun that were not headed toward Earth.

SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display.

If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov.