SOHO Snaps Spectacular Sun Shot

SOLAR SCIENCE

Desktop: Raw Desk 1024x768At the time of this snapshot, taken in the light of singly-ionised helium, the eruptive prominence was over 700 000 km across - over fifty times Earth's diameter - and was moving in excess of 75 000 km per hour.

Paris - Mar 17, 2004
On Friday, 12 March 2004, the Sun ejected a spectacular 'eruptive prominence' into the heliosphere. SOHO, the ESA/NASA solar watchdog observatory, faithfully recorded the event.

This 'eruptive prominence' is a mass of relatively cool plasma, or ionised gas. We say 'relatively' cool, because the plasma observed by the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on board SOHO was only about 80 000 degrees Celsius, compared to the plasma at one or two million degrees Celsius surrounding it in the Sun's tenuous outer atmosphere, or 'corona'.

At the time of this snapshot, the eruptive prominence seen at top right was over 700 000 kilometres across - over fifty times Earth's diameter - and was moving at a speed of over 75 000 kilometres per hour.

Eruptive prominences of this size are associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and the combination of CMEs and prominences can affect Earth's magnetosphere when directed toward our planet. In this case, the eruptive prominence and associated CME were directed away from Earth.

SOHO is a mission of international co-operation between ESA and NASA, launched in December 1995. Every day SOHO sends thrilling images from which research scientists learn about the Sun's nature and behaviour. Experts around the world use SOHO images and data to help them predict 'space weather' events affecting our planet.

SOLAR SCIENCE

Biggest Ever Solar Flare Was Even Bigger Than Thought

Washington - Mar 16, 2004
Physicists in New Zealand have shown that last November's record-breaking solar explosion was much larger than previously estimated, thanks to innovative research using the upper atmosphere as a gigantic x-ray detector.

SUPERPOWERS US Warned Not To Ignore Chinese Military Advances	NUKEWARS Pitching For Peace In Pakistan Indian Cricketers Told To Win Paki Hearts India's Fence Sparks Little Debate Pakistan Shows Intent To Keep Nukes
MISSILE NEWS LITENING AT Targeting System to be Integrated on F/A-18D Aircraft Northrop Grumman Missile Warning System To Protect German C-160s India, Russia Negotiate Partnership For New Missile ATK Awarded $21 Million Contract for Production of the AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning System	MISSILE DEFENSE United Defense Wins Ground Based Missile Defense Canister Contract Lockheed Martin Receives $505 Million for PAC-3 Missile Production National Missile Defense System Supports MDA War Game ATK Orion Motors Power Orbital Sciences Interceptor Boost Vehicle
AEROSPACE Sonic Boom Modification May Lead To New Era Hewitt Pledges Support For Aerospace Industry National Consortium Picks Aviation Technology Test Site Wright Flyer Takes To The Sky In Las Vegas	UAV NEWS US To Deploy Unmanned Drones In Skies Over Mexican Border GuideStar Flight Control System Selected for Finmeccanica's Sky-X UAV Proxity Developing VSTOL Type UAV Electro-Optic Sensors Boom In New Battlefield Environment
IRAQ WARS	MILTECH

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement