Filament break up (January 7, 2011)

Hi-res TIF image (1.3M)

Quicktime Movie: Large (8.1M), Small (1.2M)
MPEG Large (4.7M), Small (2.8M)

A solar filament became unstable and erupted from the far side of the Sun (Jan. 4, 2011). STEREO, due to its near total views of the Sun from two spacecraft, was the only solar mission able to see it. Filaments are elongated clouds of cooler gases suspended above the Sun by magnetic forces. Many become unstable and erupt.

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.