Astronomers
recently witnessed an astounding, large scale solar event as the Sun's north
and south magnetic poles changed places! But, this complete solar magnetic
field flip was actually anticipated. It occurs every 11 years during the
maximum of the solar activity cycle. Plagues of sun spots, flaring active
regions, and huge prominences are also hard-to-miss signs that the solar
maximum is here. On February 12, the sungazing SOHO spacecraft captured
this dramatic image of a magnificent prominence above the Sun's limb. Seen
at the lower right, streams of relatively cool dense plasma were lofted
along looping magnetic field lines extending outward about 30 times the
diameter of planet Earth. |
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Far
above the limb at the upper right, a disconnected ghostly arc surrounds
a dark cavity with bright central emission. These features are telltale
signs of a coronal mass ejection -- yet another violent expulsion of material
from the active Sun. Enormous, intensely bright active regions also mottle
the solar surface in this image, recorded in the light of energetic Helium
atoms by SOHO's Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. |
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