Solar prominence. Close-up of the surface of the Sun, showing an eruption of ionized plasma known as a solar prominence. This consists of plasma (ioni

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Solar prominence. Close-up of the surface of the Sun, showing an eruption of ionized plasma known as a solar prominence. This consists of plasma (ionised gas) at a much cooler temperature than that found in the corona, the Sun's atmosphere. This makes the prominence visible as a darker feature as it erupts from the layer of the Sun known as the photosphere. Solar prominences can be thousands of kilometres in length and last for days or months. This solar prominence was imaged with a hydrogen alpha filter on 18 September 2006.

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Size: 4562px × 3870px
Photo credit: © DAMIAN PEACH/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: , 102mm, 18, 2006, 21st, alpha, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, atm, atmosphere, century, close-, cooler, daystar, detail, erf, erupting, eruption, f40, filter, filtered, fs102, gas, heliophysics, hydrogen, ionized, light, limb, lu075m, optical, photosphere, physics, plasma, prominence, september, solar, space, sun, surface, system, takahashi, telescope, visible