Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

August 20, 1998

SOHO Composite: Coronal Mass Ejection
Credit: SOHO - LASCO - EIT Consortium, ESA, NASA

Explanation: This complex composite image of an ominous and spectacular event - an expanding storm of energetic particles from the Sun - was constructed using data recorded by the SOHO spacecraft on November 6, 1997. Four images from two SOHO (Solar Orbiting Heliospheric Observatory) instruments have been nested to show the ultraviolet Sun at center and a large eruption of material from the right-hand solar limb. Known as a Coronal Mass Ejection or CME, the expanding cloud has become relatively cool and dark in the middle with bright edges still connected to the solar surface. High energy protons have peppered the SOHO detectors causing the crazed streaks and blemishes. The picture covers a region extending about 13.5 million miles from the Sun (32 Solar Radii).

On June 25, after successfully completing its planned mission, contact with SOHO was lost -- but has recently been re-established! Hopefully SOHO will soon be able to continue operating in an extended mission phase.

Tomorrow's picture: Massive Cluster of Galaxies


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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC
&: Michigan Tech. U.