Solar Eruption Video

Ever see a picture of a Solar Prominence before? If you have, you'll recognize these loop-like features leaving the Sun's surface and ending up in the Sun's corona:

Well two spacecraft designed to monitor the Sun, Stereo A (which stands for "Ahead" of Earth) and Stereo B (which stands for "Behind") just imaged a 30-hour Solar Prominence during September 26th and 27th. What did they find?

This video, which gives three minutes worth of spectacular views of this eruption on the Sun. Have a look:

Thanks to APOD for providing the snapshot that inspired this!

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Cool...oh, wait...hot!

By NewEnglandBob (not verified) on 20 Oct 2009 #permalink

if it were aimed at earth, i bet the aurora would have been *awesome*.

(however, it could have knocked out power grids, zapped satellites, and disrupted Entertainment Tonight, eh?)

These prominences look massive, but I presume most of that mass falls back into the sun? What's the escape velocity at the sun's surface?

Daily lurker here. Too uneducated to make any kind of pertinent comment, but must express appreciation for the schooling you supply.

By ThirtyFiveUp (not verified) on 20 Oct 2009 #permalink

I used to work with an instrument that could film these just fine (in fact the telescope was configured to detect such activity and start the film rolling). Even the images from earth were impressive. I wish I had taken advantage of an opportunity to print an image of the sun in H alpha on a 1m wide photographic paper but I never was much of a packrat back then.

By MadScientist (not verified) on 20 Oct 2009 #permalink

I'm crossing my eyes, but it's not turning 3D.

Thin theory of the big-bag. Make alot of money?
An explanation serving the Lord of Lords is much older.
And as for the super-collider creating a biff-hole
surely smashing atoms together can't. Does make sense
there's another less destructive method. Keep the
destroying and start those ones for a long talk creation?