Proton Storm Event (September 30, 2011)

Hi-res TIF image (1.6M)

Quicktime: Large ( 10M), Small (1.8M).
MPEG: Large (3.8M), Small (1.5M)

The Sun produced a powerful X1.4 flare on September 22, 2011. From Earth, this flare appeared on the limb, but the STEREO Behind spacecraft saw the event head on. This movie shows the flare as seen in extreme UV. A coronal wave can be seen traveling south along the surface of the Sun, and the associated coronal mass ejection appears as white areas in the coronagraph images (blue). Highly energetic particles thrown off by the Sun can be seen impacting the telescope detectors, producing bright dots and streaks.

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.