CME Cocoon (March 9, 2007)
Hi-res TIF image(1.1M)
MPEG:
large (960K),
small (256K)
Quicktime:
hi-res (2.6M),
large (488K),
small ( 36K)
An interesting coronal mass ejection (CME) blasted into space on March 5, 2007 as observed by the LASCO C2 instrument. The CME was not particularly large, but its core held its central shape together like a static object. As the bulbous front end of the CME emerged from behind the occulting disk, it carved out a dark area, which we usually see as a brighter edge. Then as the darker mass moved away from the Sun, the second half of the teardrop-shaped cloud appeared as whiter, suggesting a greater intensity of material. As the cloud moved across the field of view and out of sight, its shape, instead of broadening and expanding, seemed to hold itself together quite well in a fairly tight cocoon-looking shape. Other solar material burst out above and below this central pattern as is commonly seen. While the character of this event is not entirely unique, we have only seen this kind of behavior a few times in our 11 years of observations.
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.