he inner corona as seen by the LASCO C1 coronagraph in the light of the green forbidden coronal line of Fe XIV.Coronal structures can be seen as far as 1 million km above the solar surface.The large-scale solar magnetic field is being traced by loop systems,which are forming all around the Sun in different latitude zones, as demonstrated by the appearance of the corona above both the east and the west limbs. Three loop systems can be seen from high northern to high southern latitudes,bridging the solar equator. This magnetic configuration is known as a magnetic "quadrupole," because it has four magnetic zones, each zone bordering another of opposite polarity. Inherently,this configuration is not stable. This picture was taken on 1 February 1996, just 2 days before the coronal mass ejection shown in another figure on this page.

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