Prominences and Filaments on the Active Sun
Image Credit &
Copyright:
Steen Søndergaard
This colorized and sharpened image of the Sun is composed of
frames recording emission from hydrogen atoms in the solar chromosphere
on May 15.
Approaching the maximum of
solar cycle 25,
a multitude of active regions
and twisting, snake-like solar filaments are seen
to sprawl across the surface of the active Sun.
Suspend in the active regions' strong magnetic fields,
the filaments of plasma lofted above the Sun's edge
appear as bright solar prominences.
The large prominences seen near 4 o'clock,
and just before 9 o'clock around the solar limb
are post flare loops from two powerful
X-class solar flares
that both
occurred on that day.
In fact, the 4 o'clock prominence is associated with the
monster active region AR 3664
just rotating off the Sun's edge.