by APOD Robot » Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:53 am
Reinvigorated Sun and Prominence
Explanation: Dramatic
prominences can sometimes be seen looming just beyond the edge of the sun. Such was the case last week as a giant prominence,
visible above on the right, highlighted a Sun showing increased
activity as it comes off an
unusually quiet Solar
Minimum. A changing
carpet of hot gas is visible in the
chromosphere of the Sun in the
above image taken in a very
specific color of light emitted by hydrogen. A
solar prominence is a cloud of solar gas held just above the surface by the
Sun's magnetic field. The
Earth would easily fit below the
prominence on the right. Although very hot, prominences typically
appear dark when viewed against the
Sun, since they are slightly cooler than the surface. A
quiescent prominence typically lasts about a month, and may
erupt in a
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) expelling hot gas into the
Solar System. The next day, the
same prominence looked slightly different.
[/b]
[url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100323.html][img]http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_100323.jpg[/img] [size=150]Reinvigorated Sun and Prominence[/size][/url]
[b] Explanation: [/b] Dramatic [url=http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/sun/prominences.html]prominences[/url] can sometimes be seen looming just beyond the edge of the sun. Such was the case last week as a giant prominence, [url=http://www.avertedimagination.com/img_pages/a_big_one_color031610.html]visible above[/url] on the right, highlighted a Sun showing increased [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9DyxVXySaA]activity[/url] as it comes off an [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080924.html]unusually quiet[/url] Solar [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_minimum]Minimum[/url]. A changing [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081102.html]carpet of hot gas[/url] is visible in the [url=http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/feature2.shtml]chromosphere[/url] of the Sun in the [url=http://www.avertedimagination.com/img_pages/a_big_one_color031610.html]above image[/url] taken in a very [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_Alpha]specific color[/url] of light emitted by hydrogen. A [url=http://solar.physics.montana.edu/YPOP/Program/hfilament.html]solar prominence[/url] is a cloud of solar gas held just above the surface by the [url=http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/sun/magnetic.html]Sun's magnetic field[/url]. The [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070325.html]Earth[/url] would easily fit below the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030223.html]prominence[/url] on the right. Although very hot, prominences typically [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010129.html]appear dark[/url] when viewed against the [url=http://www.nineplanets.org/sol.html]Sun[/url], since they are slightly cooler than the surface. A [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970127.html]quiescent prominence[/url] typically lasts about a month, and may [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeQiLZCl7p8]erupt[/url] in a [url=http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/CMEs.shtml]Coronal Mass Ejection[/url] (CME) expelling hot gas into the [url=http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/solarsys/scale.html]Solar System[/url]. The next day, the [url=http://www.avertedimagination.com/img_pages/monster_031710.html]same prominence looked[/url] slightly different.
[b][table][tr][td=left][url=http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=100322]<< Previous APOD[/url][/td][td=center][url=http://asterisk.apod.com/viewforum.php?f=9]Discuss Any APOD[/url][/td] [td=right][url=http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=100324]Next APOD >>[/url][/td][/tr][/table][/b]