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Fig. 1
The image, acquired by NASA’s STEREO spacecraft, shows a magnificent eruption on the Sun’s north pole.
Credit: NASA
NASA recently published a wonderful image of the Sun (Fig. 1), obtained by the Sun-orbiting STEREO A spacecraft. The image shows the eruption of a filament, a glowing cloud in Sun’s atmosphere, over the solar north pole. The explosion occurred on 19 February 2012. The image was taken in ultraviolet light.
Filaments are relatively cool gaseous clouds that are suspended above the Sun’s surface by magnetic forces. They commonly erupt and disperse into space.
The STEREO mission consists of two identical Sun-orbiting spacecrafts, STEREO A and STEREO B, launched in October 2006. The mission’s primary goal is to conduct stereoscopic (3D) images of the Sun and monitor its energetic phenomena, particularly massive blasts of solar particles, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The CMEs stream into space, and may impact the planets. If a CME hits Earth, it may disrupt telecommunications, damage artificial satellites or affect electrical power grids.
Since the twin STEREO spacecrafts can image the far side of the Sun, which is not visible from Earth, they allow an early forecast of the Sun’s violent phenomena.
References
STEREO Mission Website
SOHO Website
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/24feb2012/
Wikipedia