Six CMEs in Three Days (February 21, 2014)

An active Sun blasted six coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in three days, most of them headings in different directions (Feb. 18-20, 2014). This level of activity is consistent with what we might expect as the Sun is near its maximum period of activity in the 11-year solar cycle. The storms were observed by SOHO's C3 coronagraph in which the Sun (represented by the small, white circle) is blocked by an occulting disk allowing us to see faint features in the Sun's tenuous outer atmosphere, the corona.

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.