Breakaway CME (September 10, 2003)
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Hi-res TIF image (3.5M)
Movies:
MPEG: Large (269K), Small ( 80K)
Quicktime: Large (290K), Small ( 82K)
An unusual coronal mass ejection (CME), kind of shaped like a
jellyfish, broke away from the Sun (September 8, 2003) and rocketed
out into space. Captured by the LASCO C2 coronagraph and cropped to
the area of the CME, the video clip and still image show the odd
structure of this solar event. The video clip, slowed down to show
the event's structure, shows eight hours of activity, which consists
of about 20 frames. More typical CMEs show bulbous structures that
maintain their shape as they move away from the Sun in the C2
coronagraphs. This one is uniquely shaped, reminding the scientists
that, despite over seven years of daily observations, there is still
more variety yet to be seen. Please visit our Newsroom for press releases and media coverage.
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. |