SolarHam.com | VIIDEO Solar Prominence and Coronal Mass Ejection CME - 11-10-12

New video released by SDO/AIA showing an eruption this morning around Region 1608 and prominence activity off the southeast limb. The eruption is the most likely source of this morning's CME.

SolarHam.com | IMAGE - Solar Prominence (9/21/12)

Image by SDO showing a large filament channel that is magnetically anchored in place. This plasma filled prominence has been visible for the past several days. Sometimes a filament channel will become unstable and lead to an eruption that can hurl a Coronal Mass Ejection into space.

SolarHam.com | IMAGE - SW Limb Solar Prominence

A very tall prominence is currently located off the southwest limb. Image by SDO

SolarHam.com | Image of large solar prominence off the eastern limb

Eastern Limb prominence (Early Wednesday) 

Image by SDO

SolarHam.com | Two Prominence Liftoffs and CME (3/30/2012)

Two prominences are seen lifting off in the northern hemisphere. The second one of these events produced a Coronal Mass Ejection that was mostly directed to the north.

A solar prominence lifting off in the northern hemisphere produced a Coronal Mass Ejection that was mostly directed to the north and not towards Earth.

SpaceWeather.com | 2 Big Sunspots turning towards Earth with prominences dancing and potential for X-Class Flares

DELICATO: With two big sunspots turning toward Earth and a variety of prominences dancing around the solar limb, the sun is attracting the attention of amateur astronomers. Alan Friedman sends this report from Buffalo, New York: "The activity on the sun today was so diverse in intensity and character I was reminded of movements in a symphony. This very massive prominence (pictured below) was so very faint--almost invisible when others circling the limb were properly exposed. It's delicate tendrils inspired the name Delicato."

In Falmouth, Maine, photographer John Stetson turned his solar telescope toward sunspot group 1271 and found it seething. "The active region is bright and crackling, surrounded by long, twisting filaments of magnetism that seem poised to produce some powerful flares," he says. Indeed,NOAA analysts note that the sunspot has a "beta-delta-gamma" magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class explosions.

SpaceWeather.com | Huge Solar Prominence on April 19th - with non-earth directed billion-ton Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)

SOLAR ERUPTION: Another huge prominence blasted away from the sun yesterday, April 19th. The massive tendril of plasma was nearly a quarter the diameter of the sun itself when the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) snapped this picture:

Above: A solar prominence erupts on April 19th at 1919 UT

The eruption catapulted a billion-ton CME out of the sun's atmosphere. SOHO saw that, too: movie:

The expanding cloud is not heading for Earth, so we should feel no effects. The event was photogenic but not geoeffective.

SpaceWeather.com | HUGE Solar Prominences erupted from the sun's northwestern limb today - April 13, 2010

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:

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.

More images: from Steve Wainwright of Gower, South Wales UK; from Patrick Bornet of Saint Martin sur Nohain, Nièvre, France; from Robert Arnold of Isle of Skye, Scotland; from Les Observateurs Associés au Pic du Midi, France; from Gianfranco Meregalli of Milano Italy

SpaceWeather.com | Huge Solar Prominence - April 1, 2010

SOLAR PROMINENCE: Today, amateur astronomers around the world are monitoring a huge prominence rising over the sun's northeastern limb.

Eric Roel took the picture just hours ago from his backyard observatory in Valle de Bravo, Mexico. Since then, the view has changed. Magnetic fields underpinning this magnificent structure are in a state of fairly rapid motion, pulling the plasma to and fro, offering a different profile to every observer. The whole thing could become unstable and collapse.

SpaceWeather.com | Enormous Solar Prominence

PROMINENCE, CONTINUED: For the second day in a row, astronomers are monitoring an enormous prominence rising over the northwestern limb of the sun. "Twenty-four hours after I first saw it, it is still alive and more monstrous (in a beautiful way) than ever," reports Alan Friedman, who sends this picture from his observatory in downtown Buffalo, New York:

Note sunspot 1054 in the lower right corner

The magnificent arch stretches more than 20 Earth-diameters from end to end. Our planet would easily fit through any of the "little" plasma gaps evident in Friedman's photo.

SpaceWeather.com | Arch-shaped prominence dancing along the limb of the sun. "It is several times wider than Earth,"

Astronomers are monitoring an arch-shaped prominence dancing along the limb of the sun. "It is several times wider than Earth," notes Greg Piepol of Rockville, Maryland, who recorded this view through his Coronado SolarMax90:

Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California, has made a must-see movie of the prominence. "It was quite large and very pleasing to view as it danced in the chromosphere. The movie shows 1 hour and 45 minutes of action."

Readers with solar telescopes, train your optics on the sun's northwestern limb.

more images: from John Minnerath of Crowheart, Wyoming; from Mike Borman of Evansville, Indiana; from Steve Riegel of Santa Maria, California; from Fabio Mariuzza of Biauzzo - Italy;

SpaceWeather.com | Impressive Solar Prominence Activity - September 26, 2009

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Around the world, amateur astronomers are watching an impressive display of solar prominence activity. "Wow and then some!" exclaims from Steve Riegel who sends this picture from Santa Maria, California

Spaceweather.com | SOHO is monitoring an enormous prominence on the sun's southeastern limb

SOLAR ACTIVITY: Today, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is monitoring an enormous prominence on the sun's southeastern limb. Behold three hours of fiery action:

The prominence has been growing for more than a day. As it towers higher and higher above the surface of the sun, the odds increase that it will erupt and come crashing down--a must-see. Readers, if you have a solar telescope, train your optics on the sun's southeastern limb.

more images: from J. Macieszek and J. Stetson of South Portland, Maine

SpaceWeather.com | SOLAR SURPRISE - prominence of magnificent proportions

Even during the deepest solar minimum in a century, the sun has the capacity for surprise. Larry Alvarez got one yesterday when he bent over the eyepiece of his solar telescope in Flower Mound, Texas. "I thought it would be just another day with a vanilla-wafer solar disk, but I was in for a blazing shock when I checked out the edge of the sun," he says. "There was a huge worm popping out of the apple--a prominence of magnificent proportions!" Here is what he saw:

"What a doozy," he says. "I watched the prominence for more than two hours and got some really nice shots." He's working on a video now--stay tuned for that.

Realtime images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory indicate that the prominence remains active. Readers with solar telescopes should take a look. It's no longer a surprise, but still a doozy.

images: from Mark Townley of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, UK; from Stephen Ames of Hodgenville, KY; from Fabio Mariuzza of Biauzzo-Codroipo, Italy; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany; from Emiel Veldhuis of Zwolle, the Netherlands; from Francisco A. Rodriguez of Cabreja Mountain Observatory, Vega de San Mateo, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands; from Gianfranco Meregalli of Milano, Italy;

SolarWeather.com | Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded some lively action on August 25th

SOLAR ACTIVITY: In the pits of a century-level solar minimum, the sun is setting new records for quiet. But really, how quiet can a 10²⁷-ton nuclear explosion (a star) ever be? The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded some lively action on August 25th:

http://spaceweather.com/swpod2009/26aug09/soho_anim.gif

The time-lapse movie shows a prominence, a swirling cloud of hydrogen held up unsteadily by solar magnetic fields. Prominences appear to be the one form of solar activity that continues apace even when sunspots are absent. Readers with solar telescopes, for a good show train your optics on the edge of the sun.

more images: from Joe Bartolick of Livermore, California; from Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California.

SpaceWeather.com | A solar prominence big enough to swallow ten planet Earths is dancing along the NE limb of the sun today 22Aug09

Les Cowley, UK
Aug. 22, 2009

The quiet sun still has beautiful prominences. This large arched prominence was on the eastern limb this morning. Sketch at eyepiece 50-80X, SolarMax60 H-alpha scope.

SpaceWeather.com | Complex prominence was evolving on the NW limb - August 19, 2009

Les Cowley

Image taken: August 19, 2009

Location: UK

Details:

The sun lives! More out of hope than expectation I took an H-alpha look at the sun with my Solarmax60 this afternoon, usually a time of poor seeing. Remarkably the image was steady and this complex prominence was evolving on the NW limb. Eyepiece sketch at 50X.

SpaceWeather.com | A BIG SHOW is underway on the sun today - 2 masive prominences are dancing along NW limb - July 20, 2009 11am CDT

SOLAR ACTIVITY: A big show is underway on the sun today. Two massive prominences are dancing along the northwestern limb with such allure that the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has boosted its frame-rate to capture the motions. Stay tuned for movies, and meanwhile, keep an eye on the sun.

SpaceWeather.com | Large Solar Prominence on Sun's NW limb (for scale Earth would fit beneath arch with room to spare)

SOLAR ACTIVITY: This morning, John Stetson of Portalnd, Maine trained his solar telescope on the sun and witnessed an enormous "triangle of fire." Students P. Fitzpatrick and F. Stewart helped him take this picture:

"We really enjoyed observing and imaging this prominence on the sun's northwestern limb," says Stetson.

Although it resembles fire, no combustion is involved. Prominences are glowing clouds of solar plasma held aloft by magnetic fields. The shape of the prominence traces the shape of the underlying magnetic field--in this case a towering triangle. For scale, Earth would fit beneath the arch with room to spare.

There are many more prominences dancing around the edge of the sun today. Readers, if you have a solar telescope, take a look.

SOHO's latest image

more images: from Patrick Pelletier of Serbannes, France; from Marco Vidovic of Stojnci, Slovenia; from Matthias Juergens of Gnevsdorf, Germany

SpaceWeather.com | Sunspot numbered 1019 growing rapidly 01June09

NEW-CYCLE SUNSPOT: "Solar activity is heating up!" says Robert Arnold of Scotland. Just hours ago from his observatory on the Isle of Skye, he snapped this photo of a prominence and a new sunspot emerging near the sun's northeastern limb:

The sunspot, numbered 1019, in growing rapidly as shown in this movie from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The high latitude and magnetic polarity of the spot identify it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Readers , if you have a solar telescope, train it on the sun and watch sunspot genesis in action.

more images: from Didier Favre of Brétigny sur Orge, France; from Pete Lawrence of Selsey, West Sussex, UK; from Cai-Uso Wohler of Bispingen, Germany; from Chris Newsome of Spondon, Derby, UK; from John C McConnell of Maghaberry Northern Ireland; from Chris Hozee of De Bilt, The Netherlands; from Maximilian Teodorescu of Dumitrana, Romania; from Gernot Lausen of Fleckeby, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; from Jan Haltenhof of Kiel, Northern Germany