Asemwald Weather

Within a one-day period, two substantial prominences broke away from the Sun (Sept. 13-14, 2013). The images were taken by the STEREO Ahead spacecraft in extreme UV light. Prominences are unstable, cooler clouds of gas suspended above the Sun by magnetic forces and are often observed collapsing or breaking away from the Sun. For hires pics and movies click here .

An eruption of slightly cooler material in conjunction with a coronal mass ejection observed by the STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft broke into two strands that appeared to reach as they stretched and eventually disappeared above the Sun (July 21-22, 2103). The active region from which it originated was facing directly towards the spacecraft at the time. The video covers about 12 hours of activity. The images were taken in a wavelength of extreme UV light. SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display. If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov. Higher res and movies

Let's give some recognition to the little solar storms too. While we often focus on the large solar storms, we lose sight of the smaller coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that pop off the Sun almost every day. For a recent eight-day period June 4-12, 2013), the Sun blasted out about three good-sized CMEs, as well as almost a dozen smaller outbursts that no one pays much attention to. Yet they contribute to the record of solar activity too. Images were taken by the LASCO C3 coronagraph. The Sun, blocked out by the solid, blue occulting disk, is represented by the small white circle in the center. The bright white object that glides in from the left is Jupiter. For hi-res picture and movies go to  http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/14jun2013/

This composite movie shows two good-sized (and very different) coronal mass ejections (CMEs) blasting into space in less than a day (June 5-6, 2013). The first presents an expanding, bulbous front off to the left that looks a lot like a light-bulb, which in a wry sense it is! The second CME presents an irregular wedge of particles moving downwards. The two coronagraphs, C2 (red) and C3 (blue), from SOHO are combined together. The Sun, observed by SDO, is shown in extreme UV light and superimposed on the occulting disks of the coronagraphs. The elongated black area angled to the upper right is the arm that holds the occulting disk in front of the telescope to block out the Sun. For high res pics and movies go to  http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/07jun2013/

A very energetic active region popped off four X-flares (largest class) in just two days (May 13, 15, 2013), each also was associated with a fast coronal mass ejection (CME), which can be seen in views from SOHO's LASCO C3 coronagraph. This active region had a very tangled magnetic field structure. The action was caught by SOHO's C3 coronagraph. The Sun itself (represented by the central, white circle) is blocked out by an occulting disk, so that the fainter structures beyond the Sun's corona can be observed. The extended white just to the Sun?s left is Mercury, whose brightness causes the light to spread out across our CCD. For hires picture and movies go to  SOHO Pick of The Week

For a second week in a row, coronal mass ejections were being blasted out from the Sun at a pace of almost two per day (Apr. 28 - May 4, 2013). And again, we counted ten CMEs for the six days, some of them bright, powerful eruptions. These were taken by the STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft?s coronagraph, in which the black disk blocks the Sun (represented by the white circle) so that we can observe the fainter features beyond it. The Sun is predicted to be nearing its maximum period of activity: the combination of almost 30 CMEs during the April 18 - May 4 period would seem to fit in with that prediction, though it is still too early to tell. For higher resolution and movies go here .

Coronal mass ejections were popping out from the Sun at a pace of two per day on average (Apr. 18-23, 2013). We counted ten CMEs for the five days, but some of the eruptions were complex and difficult to differentiate from one another. Almost all of them blew particles out to the left, most of them probably originating from the same active region. These were taken by the STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft's coronagraph, in which the black disk blocks the Sun (represented by the white circle) so that we can observe the fainter features beyond it. Hires and movies ->  SOHO Pick of The Week

A coronal mass ejection (CME), associated with a solar flare, sent a cloud of particles to its right out from an active region at it edge, followed by a secondary blast pointed a little lower over about a 24-hour period (Apr. 18-19, 2013). The movie combines images from three instruments on two spacecraft. The originating blast from the Sun was taken by SDO (seen in extreme UV light). This series of frames was superimposed on top of SOHO's C2 (red) and C3 (blue) coronagraph images from SOHO. The coronagraph images block out the Sun so that the fainter structures out in the corona can be observed. The black, diagonal feature is the strut that holds the disk that occults the Sun in C3. The blast was not likely to impact Earth, but could have some impact on Mercury. For hi-res pictures and movies go here.  

The Sun's edge blossomed with all sorts of loops and arcs reaching out from a pair of active regions (April 8, 2013). The image was taken by STEREO's (Ahead) spacecraft in extreme UV light. The loops are plasma at temperatures up to a million degrees C., contained by magnetic fields. Hires resolution available at  SOHO Pick of The Week

(Quelle: soho.nascom.nasa.gov ) A prominence rose up and emerged over the Sun's edge at the upper right of the Sun, followed almost immediately by a similar eruption in the southern hemisphere (Mar. 31 - Apr. 1, 2013). Invisible threads of magnetism connect widely separated parts of the Sun along so-called filament channels, so an eruption in one place can trigger another one very far away. Near the end of the sequence, another filament blew out to the left of the Sun. The images were taken in extreme UV light by the STEREO (Behind) spacecraft. The video covers about one day of activity. The still was taken early on April 1. Hi-Ress Tiff and movies

SOHO images are revealing a sight no one else gets to see: Venus, Mars and Uranus are all crowding into the same picture with the Sun. From our perspective on Earth, it is happening in the daylight sky very close to the glaring sun. Using a disk to block the glare, coronagraphs are able to track the planets. The movie shows the planets as they appear to approach the Sun (Mar. 24-27, 2103). Read more ...  

The Sun blasted out a broad and sizeable coronal mass ejection (CME), and then followed that with a very slowly developing, narrow eruption that went just about due north (Mar. 17-18, 2013). The images were taken by the STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft. The still image shows the larger, bulbous front of the expanding CME. The Sun (here represented by the small white circle) is blocked out by the larger occulting disk so that the faint features in the Sun's corona can be imaged. More ... 

An active region on the far-side of the Sun erupted with a massive Coronal Mass Ejection that expanded in a wide 'halo' around the Sun (March 5, 2013). The images were taken ...  Read more ... SOHO Pick of The Week

 The Sun blasted out five coronal mass ejections (CMEs) over about two days (Feb. 26-28, 2013) and each one had quite a different shape and structure. The most interesting one (seen in still below) blew out to the right with a bright, elongated center, ... Read more ...  SOHO Pick of The Week

SOHO Pick of The Week The Sun popped off about one coronal mass ejection per day over this eight-day period (Feb. 13-20, 2013). None of these solar storms was really powerful, but their frequency suggests that the Sun is likely near the peak ... Read more ... EIGHT BUSY DAYS (FEBRUARY 22, 2013)

An active region triggered two eruptions that followed each other over the course of a few hours (Feb. 5-6, 2013), involving two smaller flares and two coronal mass ejections. ... Read more ... SOHO Pick of The Week

A strand of solar filament broke away from the Sun and out into space (Jan. 23, 2013). In the STEREO (Behind) spacecraft image, the green Sun (false color) viewed in extreme UV light has been superimposed on the dark disk of the COR1 coronagraph that views activity in the Sun's ...  Read more ... SOHO Pick of The Week

Two long, bright filaments, threaded with magnetic fields, broke away from the Sun as part of coronal mass ejection on January 23, 2013. This first one headed off to the lower left in chunky pieces. The second CME sailed ...  Read more ...  http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/25jan2013/