As often happens, both a flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME) occurred April 6, 2004, nearly simultaneously. The flare can be observed as Active Region 588 gradual brightens over a period of a few hours to a white point, then its intensity subsides. On the scale for measuring flares this was an M2.4, more of a moderate flare event. The video shows the full disk of the Sun in EIT 195Å from 11:00 to 16:48 UT. There is a reasonable chance that the CME cloud will impact Earth around April 8 and perhaps generate some auroral activity.

The CME was probably associated with this X-ray flare. The CME, called a halo CME because the material appears all around the Sun as if in a halo, hurled a cloud of particles in the general direction of Earth. It is difficult to see with the EIT instruments, but the expanding cloud can be observed in both of the LASCO instruments (not shown here). Please visit our Newsroom for press releases and media coverage.

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.