APOD 1.8

APOD October 18th: It Came From The Sun

This picture documents one of the largest solar prominences ever recorded.  A solar prominence is a large bright feature extending from the Sun's surface out into it's corona.  Depending on how stable the specific the prominence can sometimes last up to multiple months in the suns corona.  The largest prominence was 216,000 miles long which is 28 times the diameter of the Earth!  This picture illustrates the holding of the solar prominence to the sun by the sun's magnetic field.  That is how they stay for such a vast period of time.  There is a magnetic attraction between the two objects.  This picture documents an explosive prominence which don't last as long as quiescent prominences.   There are more volatile and have the ability to explode and dispel hot gas through out the surrounding atmosphere within a matter of minutes.  Because the prominences are slightly cooler than the surface of the sun when viewed through a telescope there appear dark.