09 October 2024 - Mission Day: 10540 - DOY: 283
Pick of The Week
 
 

Poof! A non-CME event (November 18, 2004)


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Late on November 13, 2004, SOHO observed a non-event, that is a coronal mass ejection (CME) event that looked like it was going to occur but didn't. A huge, twisted system of loops of ionized gas begins to erupt from the Sun near a sunspot region but before the material even leaves the field of view, it reverses direction and falls back to the Sun again. The entire non-event lasted about 6 hours. Solar physicists call this phenomenon a flare surge. In such (non-)events, the magnetic energy released when the magnetic constraints on the loops are broken is insufficient to overcome the gravitational attraction of the Sun for the gas in the loops. So while we often focus on the big events that escape the Sun's gravity and can influence space weather at the earth or other planets, it is worthwhile to realize that lots of other solar activity is occurring as well.

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