March 19, 2016

Bulbous Solar Prominence

Solar Prominence

An EIT 304 image of a large, twirling prominence taken on February 12, 2001. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can extend outward and break away from the Sun's atmosphere. This image shows ions of helium heated at 60,000 degrees C.

Image Credit: ESA/NASA/SOHO

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