Prominence Arising (March 28, 2008)

Hi-res TIF image (2.3M)

MPEG Movie: Large (6.9M)
Quicktime Movie: Large ( 22M), Small (2.5M)

The STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft watched closely as a solar prominence gracefully rose up above the surface, spun around a little, formed an arc, and eventually dissipated along magnetic field lines over a two-day period (March 22-23, 2008). Powerful magnetic forces that emerge from below the Sun's surface generate these prominences. The charged plasma spins along these magnetic lines, revealing them in extreme UV light. Sometimes these prominences erupt and break away from the Sun - this one seems to elongate and disappear.

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.