04-13-10: Dramatic prominence lifts off of sun (with images)

Heliobas Disciple

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
Discussion started on Space Weather thread - but this thread is devoted to the prominence itself.

http://www.spaceweather.com/
(fair use applies)

OMG! HUGE PROMINENCE: One of the biggest prominences in years erupted from the sun's northwestern limb today. The massive plasma-filled structure rose up and burst during a ~2 hour period around 0900 UT. Mark Townley sends this freeze-frame from his backyard observatory in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, UK:

*see image 3 below

The eruption hurled a bright coronal mass ejection (CME) into space: SOHO movie. The cloud is not heading toward Earth, at least not directly. A glancing blow from the outskirts of the CME is possible two to three days from now, but any impact is likely to be mild. The eruption was more photogenic than geoeffective.
Click to expand...

Great images:
(fair use applies)

In order:

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/attachments/3742157-mo1840cleanmerge2a.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tyl0WS_5r...9vdfg/s1600/mofit849abcmergedcleanmerbest.jpg

http://www.spaceweather.com/submiss...rk-Townley-mega-prom-full-disk_1271156607.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    17 KB · Views: 149
  • 2.jpg
    2.jpg
    14.2 KB · Views: 149
  • 3.jpg
    3.jpg
    125.2 KB · Views: 148
Heliobas Disciple

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
Great video of it: (may be slow to load)

http://www.robertarnold.co.uk/robfiles/0413-prom.gif
(fair use applies)

0413-prom.gif
 
Heliobas Disciple

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
As Aardaerimus pointed out on the other thread, looks like Mercury took a direct hit!

(mercury is circled in red)
 

Attachments

  • 20100413_1342_c3_512.jpg
    20100413_1342_c3_512.jpg
    38.5 KB · Views: 144
MataPam

MataPam

Veteran Member
Haybails said:
WOW! That photo right there puts into perspective just how HUGE this was!

Elementary question: What exactly is that comprised of (the stuff that is blown out into space)? Is it, like, lava? Is it pure flame? Is is simply hot energy?



HB
Click to expand...

It is mostly hydrogen, probably so hot it's been striped of it's electrons, so it's mostly just bare protons. The energy, giving off the light, is heat. 6000 degrees kelvin, which would be about 10,000 degree Fahrenheit or so. Think about how your stove elements glow when hot. Multiply by 30. Then make a loop of it. The size of the loop, relative to Earth? Quick back of the envelope estimate, you could stack ten Earths up between the "surface"of the Sun and the highest point of the loop.
 
Last edited:
Aardaerimus

Aardaerimus

Anunnaku
Heliobas Disciple said:
As Aardaerimus pointed out on the other thread, looks like Mercury took a direct hit!

(mercury is circled in red)
Click to expand...

Awesome catch! I didn't even see it peeking out through there, the first time I looked. :D

Of course, the image is merely a 2D plane, whereas Mercury is sitting in 3D space. This means it could be well out of range, sitting behind the sun, on the Z-axis.

The real question is: At this scale - when Mercury is at 90° or directly right/left of the sun from our perspective, would it still be in the image?

That would tell us if the strike would even be plausible.
 
Heliobas Disciple

Heliobas Disciple

TB Fanatic
Aardaerimus said:
Awesome catch! I didn't even see it peeking out through there, the first time I looked.
Click to expand...

Over on the Space Weather thread we came to the conclusion that it might not be Mercury after all and it could be separate ejecta from the main CME ejection that caused that brightness.

Meanwhile, another CME today from the same area. I wonder if it's coming from a sunspot on the back of the sun- doesn't seem to be anything in that vicinity on the front side right now.
 

Attachments

  • midi512_blank.jpg
    midi512_blank.jpg
    20.1 KB · Views: 26
  • 20100415_1508_c2_512.jpg
    20100415_1508_c2_512.jpg
    70.9 KB · Views: 26
  • 20100415_1530_c2_512.jpg
    20100415_1530_c2_512.jpg
    71.7 KB · Views: 26
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Heliobas Disciple said:
Over on the Space Weather thread we came to the conclusion that it might not be Mercury after all and it could be separate ejecta from the main CME ejection that caused that brightness.

Meanwhile, another CME today from the same area. I wonder if it's coming from a sunspot on the back of the sun- doesn't seem to be anything in that vicinity on the front side right now.
Click to expand...



Interesting, thank you for the updates.

K-
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top