images

The Sun seen in ultraviolet by Soho. Sept. 14 1999

by

Nasa/ESA/Soho/Eit/Novapix

Reference

a-sol02-01002

Date

2006-11-10

Image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence taken on Sept. 14, 1999. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. Emission in this spectral line shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K. Every feature in the image traces magnetic field structure. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures.