Triple Play (December 17, 2010)

Hi-res TIF image (2.1M)

Quicktime Movie: Large ( 29M), Small (1.6M)
MPEG Large (5.4M), Small (3.2M)

SOHO's C3 and C2 coronagraphs caught the action as three, separate coronal mass ejections (CMEs) blasted out in succession from the Sun (Dec. 12, 2010). These were each distinct and unconnected events. The first CME event (directly on the right) occurred when a magnetic filament erupted; the second one erupted near the Sun's north pole, and the last CME erupted on the far side of the Sun. Because all three eruptions occurred within a matter of hours, the coronagraph images suggest a single cloud, but that is not how it happened. None of the particle clouds seemed headed towards Earth.

Hi-res TIF image (1.0M)

Quicktime Movie: Large (3.5M), Small (586K)
MPEG Large (6.0M), Small (3.6M)

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.