On July 14th, 2000 solar
active region 9077 (AR9077) produced a massive flare. The event also blasted an
enormous cloud of energetic charged particles toward planet Earth, triggering
magnetic storms and dramatic auroral displays.
This striking close-up of AR9077 (static image) was made by the orbiting TRACE satellite shortly after the flare erupted. It shows million degree hot solar plasma cooling down while suspended in an arcade of magnetic loops. The false-color image covers an expansive 230,000 by 170,000 kilometer area on the Sun's surface (Earth's diameter is about 12,800 kilometers) and was recorded in extreme ultraviolet light.
Collectively resembling a popular "slinky" toy, the enormous loops are actually magnetic field lines which trap the glowing, cooling plasma above the relatively dark solar surface. After the flare, AR9077's activity decayed as it was carried farther across the Earth-facing hemisphere of the Sun by solar rotation. Active regions like AR9077 appear as groups of dark sunspots in visible light.
Gif: a set of composite images that shows the thermal evolution of the material. The X5.7 flare was observed by TRACE in three colors: the red image shows the ultraviolet continuum, generally characteristic of cool, dense gas; the blue image shows the 171Å pass band, characteristic of material around 1 million degrees; the green channel shows material hotter than about 1.5 million degrees up to approximately 10 million degrees.
Image credit: TRACE, Stanford-Lockheed ISR, NASA
Gif via Space Plasma
Explanation via APOD
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000720.html
This striking close-up of AR9077 (static image) was made by the orbiting TRACE satellite shortly after the flare erupted. It shows million degree hot solar plasma cooling down while suspended in an arcade of magnetic loops. The false-color image covers an expansive 230,000 by 170,000 kilometer area on the Sun's surface (Earth's diameter is about 12,800 kilometers) and was recorded in extreme ultraviolet light.
Collectively resembling a popular "slinky" toy, the enormous loops are actually magnetic field lines which trap the glowing, cooling plasma above the relatively dark solar surface. After the flare, AR9077's activity decayed as it was carried farther across the Earth-facing hemisphere of the Sun by solar rotation. Active regions like AR9077 appear as groups of dark sunspots in visible light.
Gif: a set of composite images that shows the thermal evolution of the material. The X5.7 flare was observed by TRACE in three colors: the red image shows the ultraviolet continuum, generally characteristic of cool, dense gas; the blue image shows the 171Å pass band, characteristic of material around 1 million degrees; the green channel shows material hotter than about 1.5 million degrees up to approximately 10 million degrees.
Image credit: TRACE, Stanford-Lockheed ISR, NASA
Gif via Space Plasma
Explanation via APOD
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000720.html
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