Sympathetic Eruptions (April 5, 2013)

Hi-res TIF (2.9M)

Movies: QT: Large (9.8M), Small (1.7M),
MPEG: MP4 (6.4M), M4V (1.5M)

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.

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.