Solitary Loop (April 10, 2009)

Hi-res TIF image (2.3M)

MPEG Movie: Large (6.4M)
Quicktime Movie: Large (8.0M), Small (4.0M)

While the Sun still remains very quiet in terms of solar activity, STEREO (Behind) watched as magnetic forces made a solar loop balloon out above the solar surface (Apr. 4-5, 2009). As observed in extreme UV light, the particles in the loop trace the magnetic field lines above a small active region. They remain fairly stable until it seems to quietly fade away. The darker region near the center of the image is a coronal hole, an area where high-speed solar wind streams out into space. Towards the end of the video clip another small active region (seen as a white area near the coronal hole) emerges. So as we wait for sunspots to appear and solar activity to pick up, there are still some solar features of interest to see.

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.