Bubble CME (December 12, 2008)

Hi-res TIF image (866K)

MPEG Movie: Large (3.4M)
Quicktime Movie: Large (5.4M), Medium (2.9M), Small (851K)

Over the period of several hours SOHO observed a large bubble-like coronal mass ejection (CME) blast from the far side of the Sun and out into space to the right (Dec. 8-9, 2008). The particle cloud will have no effect on Earth. Even within the rather narrow field of view of this C2 coronagraph, the bubble expands to the size of the sun. CMEs often appear bulbous in shape, but this might be likened to an expanding smoke ring. The sun is still near its lowest levels of activity in the solar cycle, but starting to break out of its doldrums. The white circle represents the size of the Sun and the red occulting disk blocks the brightest area around the sun to reveal the faint structures beyond it.

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.