Unfurling Prominence (October 12, 2012)

Hi-res TIF (589K)

Movies: QT (large) (9.6M), QT (small) (1.0M), MPEG ( 15M), MP4 (3.9M), M4V (1.3M)

A large prominence swirled and twisted above the Sun's surface before breaking away and launching itself into space (Oct. 6-7, 2012). This image and movie are a combination of the Sun itself, observed in extreme UV light (from the STEREO Ahead spacecraft) and STEREO's view of the corona in white light taken by its COR1 instrument. Prominences are clouds of cooler plasma that hover above the Sun, tethered by unstable magnetic forces, which often break away or fade within days or weeks. The movie covers one day of activity.

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.