Somersaulting Solar Prominence (May 22, 2009)

Hi-res TIF image (1.1M)

MPEG Movie: Large (3.4M)
Quicktime Movie:
Large (8.3M), Medium (3.5M), Small (591K)

STEREO (Behind) watched closely as a solar prominence rose up from the Sun's surface and seemed to somersault as it broke away into space (May 15, 2009). The video clip shows the action over a half-day period. Prominences appear and disappear almost daily. This one becomes taller and extends further than most. Also, its flipping motion makes for an interesting event to watch. This event was only observed by the STEREO (Behind) in its unique position trailing Earth's orbit.

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.