Spin-off (June 19, 2009)

Hi-res TIF image (1.5M)

Quicktime Movie: Large (3.8M), Small (552K)

STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft watched closely as a solar prominence rose up and spun-off above the Sun over a three-hour period (June 14, 2009). As observed in the 304 Angstrom wavelength of extreme UV light, the gases in a prominence became unstable and broke away from the Sun. Known for being fairly unstable, prominences hover above the Sun, tethered by magnetic forces until some force triggers their breaking away. At its peak, this prominence was over 25 Earths above the Sun. Prominences like this one can be and often are observed by amateur astronomers with solar telescopes.

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.