Surf's Up, Dude (September 2, 2011)

Hi-res TIF image (1.8M)

Movies

Quicktime: Large ( 11M), Small (1.0M).
MPEG: Large ( 11M), Small (4.4M), MP4 (3.2M), M4V (1.2M)

A double ribbon rises up above the Sun's surface, divides itself, and slowly spreads in opposite directions across about a fourth of the Sun (Aug. 28, 2011) as the STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft watches. A filament eruption can be seen lifting off the Sun just before this event and from the area where the division occurs. This bi-directional wave rolls across the Sun looking very much like a flowing river. About halfway through the clip, the careful observer will see another filament eruption occurs, likely due to magnetic fields being disturbed by the first event. The images were taken in extreme UV light.

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.