Series of Images from SOHO

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Series of Images from SOHO
Series of Images from SOHO

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint project of the European Space Agency and NASA, took this sequence of images with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, one of the observatory's 12 instruments. Easily visible on the lower left side is an "eruptive prominence" or blob of 60,000 F (33,315 C) gas measuring more than 80,000 miles (128,747 km) long. When the observatory took the image on February 11, 1996, the blob was traveling at more than 15,000 mph (24,140 kph). Eruptions such as these occur when a significant amount of cool dense plasma or ionized gas escapes from the low-level magnetic fields in the Sun's atmosphere. When they occur, they sometimes disrupt power and communications. With SOHO, scientists hope to observe these events more often and perhaps get a better idea of how they occur. SOHO observed these events during the minimum phase of the Sun's 11-year activity cycle.

Image Number: 091
Date: February 11, 1996

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Taken on: February 11, 1996
Sets appears in:   • Sun    • Solar System Exploration    more » • Aerospace    « less
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