If you have ever wondered why they call an area of intense magnetic field on the Sun an "active region", look no further. Here is a video clip (partial close-up) of Active Region 652 in extreme ultraviolet light over six days (July 23-28, 2004) that demonstrates this quite dramatically. The flaring and flashing of this region continued fairly regularly throughout the week. Perhaps it will return in two more weeks or so when the rotation of the Sun will bring that very active region around again.

Previous Picks of the Week

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.