PHOTO - Very large solar magnetic filament over 400,000 km (248,548.5 miles) in length in the middle of the sun

Updated 8/6/2012 @ 14:15 UTC
Solar Update / New Sunspots
Solar activity is moderate with C-Class flares and one low level M-Class event detected around a new Sunspot now rotating into view off the eastern limb. A second sunspot is also now rotating onto the visible solar disk off the northeast limb. All other regions are currently stable. There will remain the chance for another M-Class event within the next 24 hours.

A very large solar filament spanning over 400,000 km (248,548.5 miles) in length, is currently located in the middle of the solar disk. For now this plasma filled channel remains magnetically anchored to the Sun, however we should keep a close eye on it in the hours and days ahead in case it decides to liftoff. A great image below was taken today by Raymond Lalonde.

http://www.solarham.net/archive/lalonde6.jpg

Enormous filament of magnetism slithering over the sun's northeastern limb

GIANT SINE WAVE: Imagine a sine wave 400,000 km long. Today, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is monitoring just such a structure. It's an enormous filament of magnetism slithering over the sun's northeastern limb:

One of the wave troughs appears to be passing through the core of sunspot 1283. If so, an eruption of the sunspot could have an interesting ripple effect on the greater filament, perhaps even causing it to collapse.

http://spaceweather.com/

SOLAR UPDATE - THURSDAY AUGUST 27, 2011 AT 11:07 AM CDT

A pair of sunspots have emerged on the north east limb. One of them I thought would have received the number 1277 as it was clearly visible all day long Wednesday, but it did not as of yet. These regions appear to be quiet thus far.

Existing Sunspot 1271 which continues to transit the northern hemisphere, remains a fairly large group and may still produce C-Class flares. NOAA lists a 10% chance for an M-Class event.

http://www.solarham.com/

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A dark filament of magnetism is winding around the edge of the solar disk

http://spaceweather.com/submissions/pics/p/Pete-Lawrence-2011-08-24_10-50-39_SF70ds-640_1314228286.jpg

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 | MAGNETIC FILAMENT looping around the western limb of the sun

MAGNETIC FILAMENT: Today, amateur astronomers are monitoring a picturesque magnetic filament looping around the western limb of the sun. Jan Timmermans sends this picture from his backyard observatory in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands:

The portion of the filament seen in front of the sun looks dark, because it is cooler than the inferno below. But note how the filament glows in projection against the black space beyond the limb. The glow comes from plasma trapped inside the filament--not as bright as the surface of the sun, but definitely brighter than the void.

"The image clearly shows that the only difference between a 'dark' filament and a 'bright' prominence is where they are located: inside or outside the solar disk," notes Timmermans.

SpaceWeather.com | Solar events on Sep 26-27 were not normal - Magnetic filament reared up from sun's surface so large it was watched for 30 hours

GREAT SOLAR ACTIVITY: NASA's twin STEREO spacecraft are stationed 150 million miles apart on nearly opposite sides on the sun. Because of their opposing points of view, the two spacecraft normally see different things. The events of Sept. 26th and 27th, however, were not normal. A magnetic filament reared up from the surface of the sun so large that both spacecraft were able to watch it unfold for a whopping 30 hours. Click on the image to launch a 28 MB Quicktime movie:

In the movie, STEREO-A's view appears on the right, STEREO-B's on the left. From one side, the filament appears dark and shadowy, backlit by the fiery surface of the sun below. From the other side, the filament itself appears fiery, outlined by the dark backdrop of space beyond the sun. Astronomers have never seen solar activity in this way before, and there is much to be learned from the increasingly complete view STEREO provides. More images may be found in the STEREO Selects (http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/selects.shtml)photo gallery.