promin.jpg

Space Weather reports that one of the largest solar prominences in years erupted from the sun's northwestern limb yesterday, April 13. "The massive plasma-filled structure rose up and burst during a ~2 hour period around 0900 UT on April 13th." Observers in Europe had the best view, and this photo was shot by Jo Dahlmans of Ulestraten, Netherlands, using his Coronado Personal Solar Telescope. "The eruption hurled a bright coronal mass ejection (CME, movie) into space. The expanding cloud could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field around April 15th. NOAA forecasters estimate a 35% chance of polar geomagnetic activity when the CME arrives."

  • hectorinwa

    Totally looks like a horse.

    from http://www.spaceweather3.com/:

    A coronal mass ejection (movie) blasted into space by an erupting prominence on April 13th could deliver a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field on or about April 17th. (Note: This supercedes earlier estimates of an April 15th arrival.)

  • Anonymous

    I see a break dancing Jesus.

  • Anonymous

    I’m curious to see this sort of thing charted against volcano/quake activity here on ‘ol blue. It sure seems like we’ve had an uptick of late.

  • Anonymous

    You shouldn’t look directly at the sun, especially through a telescope.

  • Anonymous

    Can this affect the space station?

  • Anonymous

    the sun is hot

  • Anonymous

    A glancing blow to the magnetic field from a prominence that large probably means awesome auroras for those of you way the heck up there where you can see auroras. It was not directed at us. If it were, we might have some disturbances in communications.

  • 4kedtongue

    Great free app for iPhone (and probably iPad): 3D Sun. The app downloads pictures taken of the sun by a pair of satellites, one of which is in front of the earth, the other trailing (STEREO). The downloads from the satellites to your phone are almost instantaneous and show a great deal of solar activity.

  • Mim

    @3, 4, 6, 7, &12 – Before I read this, I looked at the picture, and assumed that the post would be about the Solar prominence providing its very own unicorn chaser.

  • KE6KXU

    If you do any Ham radio then you can look forward to lots of atmospheric noise but also lots of higher frequency DX (Distant communication) Also VERY high probability of Aroura

  • lost feliz

    Is this gonna affect what happens in the “Lost” finale?

  • scifijazznik

    Will this erase the DRM off my $100 Star Trek hard drive?

  • noah django

    you say magnetic field, I say f***in’ MAGIC!

  • snsr

    I wonder if the Russian Perimeter system would still work? (Mertvaya Ruka – Dead Hand) Provided they shielded it from emp interference. Shit gives me nightmares.

  • snsr

    Uhh, my previous comment concerned the wired article linked to by Anon above – http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/2012storms/

  • ameta4

    This finally proves what I’ve been saying for years: The sun is made of horses.

  • Anonymous

    No, I see the horse too. Only it’s not kicking its hind legs, it’s standing on the sun and it has wings.

  • Anonymous

    Ack! It just burned a hole in my computer screen!

  • tumblingwall

    Will we be able to find the island when it strikes? Or will Desmond travel through time?

  • Anonymous

    These occur as result of the actual tearing of a magnetic field line. They very quickly reform, but release tremendous amounts of energy. The fact is that these are occuring extremely often, The surface of the sun if you were to look at a square foot would contain trillions of such explosions- just very tiny. They do boil over in a way to form larger ones.

  • Ugly Canuck

    “The sun ain’t stable”,

    if I may quote from the wise Captain Beefheart:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqRHr5pEIFU

    He sings something about the moon, too.

  • Anonymous

    The atmosphere insulates us from what gets through the gravitational field. Glad I’m not flying the not-so-friendly sky’s at 36,000 ft for the next couple days. Maybe that’s why they don’t like to publicize it much!

  • Anonymous

    prepping for 2012. its just a flare

  • 2bytes

    I was working in the yard today and at 11:52 am received an instant sun tan.

  • Anonymous

    It’s not a horse… it’s a jackass, as in… “any jackass can kick a barn down, only a carpenter can build one…” Clearly it is a message from Jesus, the carpenter. The end of days begins tomorrow… commit and confess all your sins quickly….

  • Anonymous

    So would a blow to the Earth’s magnetic field trigger a volcanic eruption?

  • tomrigid

    How does a prominence develop on the solar surface? I’m picturing the plasmatic equivalent of a lava dome, but…what? Is it more like what happens at the bottom of those central African lakes, with the gas bubbles? But with, you know, fusion?

    • Anonymous

      @tomrigid i think you might be on to something! now that i think about it, volcanic activity anywhere seems to work on that same principle! i am no vulcanologist, but maybe i think you are on to something!

    • Anonymous

      Horse like at the Denver Airport? Is anyone seeing this? Am I the only one?

      • Anonymous

        @#40 tomrigid: Ugh, that horse at Denver International is the creepiest, weirdest thing! I used to have to go there a couple times a week and even then I never got used to it. What were they thinking?!

    • Anonymous

      Perhaps, but the Co2 resonance emitted during intrafusion could transmit an ultra-sonic geoplasm which could explain it.

    • Anonymous

      The prominence occurs when the magnetic fields withing the sun become kinked due to coiling caused by the uneven rotation of the gaseous sphere. A solar flare occurs when these kinked-up magnetic fields break the surface of the sun. Truly, they are the sun becoming temporarily disembowelled.

    • Anonymous

      Prominences formation and CME initiation are active fields of research. There are several competing theories for how a prominence develops. Essentially they are long thin areas that are dark when viewed on the disk (also called filaments in this form) and bright when viewed off the limb. They are composed of plasma that is cooler and denser than the surrounding coronal plasma. One theory as to how they develop is that they lie inside magnetic flux ropes (essentially twisted tubes of magnetic field) and that the dips at the bottom of the rope support the extra prominence mass. Another theory is that they are the observational signatures of a long flat current sheet that forms between oppositely directed magnetic field.

  • Anonymous

    i bet the governments of wealthy nations are building arks in China right now?

  • Anonymous

    Want to know why there are huge channeled intenal solar pressures which cause the eruptions? It looks like a huge electron beam pushed a pocket of superheated gases to the surface. If you want to know why then you should get my book which further details the interior of the sun. “Dark Energy and Dark Matter paths to continuous fusion through coalescent physics” Available on Amazon books and Kindle.
    Due to the Sun moving back towards a solar maximum cycle the eruption is normal for this phase of spin-up during the solar maximum cycle. It likely was a build-up of internal gasses that is getting pushed out due to increased internal pressures and energies.

  • Anonymous

    Looks more like a Scottish Terrier to me.

    • NRG

      I saw it right away, but didn’t think it looked like a horse. See how false traditions get started? One person mistakenly sees a horse, then most people agree and confirm that, and pass the tradition on. Only much later does someone see the light – that it’s really a Scottish Terrier!

      Now that we’re clear about what it is, look below it to the right – do you see another one kicking also? Either it’s behind the first one, or it’s a baby, copying and nursing from its angry mommy.

      But that was all easy. Now look at the SUN. Straight below the bright V above the dog’s neck, a third of the way into the sun photo. See a wide-mouthed screaming face? Kind of hard to see the eyes, I know.

      Now look up from that at 1:15 about half way to the sun’s edge – see what’s either a ghost face or a person waving their arms?

      Now look down from the first dog’s kicking rear foot to a centimeter into the sun and an inch from the right edge of the photo – see a grimacing, deeply set eyed face?

      This is CAT OWNER’S HELL! (Look close, and you’ll even see some of the cats.)

      Reminds me a little bit of subliminal advertising.

  • Anonymous

    Why isn’t this on the news?

  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous

    Am I the only one who see a horse kicking his hind legs in that photo of the sun?

    • Anonymous

      Nope, their is definitely a horse bucking in there!

    • Anonymous

      I see the horse clearly anon, and if your the anon from posting at TDG I would love to see you back there posting….cheers…thefloppy1…

    • Anonymous

      nope i see it too, a coronal mass hallucination!!

    • Anonymous

      i see it.

    • Anonymous

      And breathing fire.

    • Anonymous

      I saw it immediately after I read your post. Good eye.

    • Anonymous

      I see it too, though I wouldn’t have noticed had you not mentioned it!

    • Anonymous

      Now that you mention it, I see it too. Weird!

    • Anonymous

      OMG!!! It is :)

    • Anonymous

      No, I see it too. That is a trip. I was born in the year of the horse!

  • ameta4

    Is it just me, or does this look just like a horse mid-gallop?

    • Anonymous

      i see jesus

    • Anonymous

      That is really good!

  • MarlboroTestMonkey7

    Man this blows!

  • mellowknees

    @ameta4 – totally looks like a horse.

    @everyone else: I want one of those telescopes like NOW. That is an amazing photo.

  • Anonymous

    The horse looks angry, we should sacrifice someone..

  • John Greg

    OMGz! OMGz!! Horsey of the Apocalypses; 2012 just around the corner. OMGz!

    We’re all gonna die!!!

    Nah; just joshin’.

  • Terry

    Is there any chance this will get me out paying my taxes tomorrow?

    Just askin’.

  • Anonymous

    People who paid more attention in science class than me might be able to tell us more about what we will see here on Earth when this reach us on the 15th?

    I’m so getting that solar telescope by the way. Was this the best advert ever or what?

  • millrick

    where’s my tin hat?

  • Quiche de Resistance

    The sun aint got nothin on me.

  • cniebla

    I don’t think is a horse. It’s clearly a UNICORN!

    • Felton

      Whatever it is, it’s certainly one-upped that moon-jumping cow.

  • Anonymous

    sorry for the ignorance, but how exactly will the affect the earth? Does this mean we will have dropped calls on our cell phones, or are the poles going to reverse? Or something in between?

    • namnezia

      Here’s some info about coronal mass ejections and geomagnetic storms, for how it affects us click on the link “effects of space weather storms” near the top of the page:

      http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/primer/Primer2.htm

      Apparently it can cause blackouts, disrupt communications satellites and GPS systems and screw up water distribution pipelines. It also causes homing pigeons to lose their way, as well as affecting migrating whales and dolphins. Finally, your dental fillings will come flying out of your teeth.

      OK, not sure about that last one…