Unlike the coronal mass ejections (CME) that we’ve experienced lately, the latest massive display depicted in the video above was not directed at Earth. Happening yesterday around 1:45pm EDT, our sun released a massive ribbon of hot plasma pushed off its surface by a colossal burst of solar winds. While we certainly wouldn’t want to be in the path of such a release of energy, it does make for a beautiful viewing experience.
Captured by NASA‘s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the CME was one of the largest that has happened this year, and is officially called a “Giant Prominence”. Caused by the recently discovered phenomenon known as “magnetic reconnection,” the CME results from magnetic fields rearranging themselves when two such opposing fields meet. As you can see, the resulting release of energy is massive.
Stationed near the sun for its five-year mission, the SDO has been tasked with helping ground-based researchers understand how our personal star works in conjunction with the planet. Officially called the “Living with a Star” program, the SDO contains an array of instruments to help capture events such as the one that happened yesterday.
The SDO craft was launched on February 11th, 2010 from Cape Canaveral, and as mentioned above will remain operational for at least five years. Understanding the weather that happens around the brightly burning heavenly body is helping to predict when dangerous radiation may be headed towards Earth and delicate installations like the International Space Station.
Read more at NASA
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