Peering though layers of the Sun (February 29, 2008)

Hi-res TIF image (4.7M)

MPEG Movie: Large (4.4M)
Quicktime Movie: Large (6.6M), Small (852K)

Using two STEREO instruments that view the Sun in extreme UV light, we can combine frames taken at about the same time and see features from both. The focus of interest here is an active region coming around the edge of the Sun on February 23, 2008. We are comparing the emission which is most hot in 286 A and (mostly) relatively cool in 304 A so you can see their relative locations (one wavelength is represented by yellow in the movie, the other is represented by orange). Understanding why the sun is hot or cool in different locations is a big challenge in solar physics. This technique is a way to visualize how different solar features are revealed two of the four wavelengths of light taken by the EUVI instrument on STEREO.

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.