Prominence Arising - March 22-23, 2008

The STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft watched closely as a solar prominence gracefully rose up above the surface, spun around a little, formed an arc, and eventually dissipated along magnetic field lines over a two–day period (March 22-23, 2008). Powerful magnetic forces that emerge from below the Sun's surface generate these prominences. The charged plasma spins along these magnetic lines, revealing them in extreme UV light. Sometimes these prominences erupt and break away from the Sun – this one seems to elongate and disappear.

• 304rise_best.mov - (22.01 mb)   
• 304rise_lo.mov - (2.46 mb)   
• 304rise.mpg - (6.91 mb)   
• Print version. Right click for download.