Sun  ID: 11373

Canyon Of Fire

Story by Karen Fox Released on December 12, 2013
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A NASA spacecraft views a solar eruption and its aftermath.
In September 2013, a 200,000-mile-long loop of solar material erupted in the sun's atmosphere leaving behind what looks like a canyon of fire. These giant loops, called filaments, consist of charged particles held in place by magnetic fields that extend out from the sun’s surface. On September 29-30, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft watched as a filament about 25 times the Earth’s width expanded and then collapsed just north of the sun’s equator. Moments later, it saw a glowing canyon trace the channel where magnetic fields held the structure aloft. Watch the video to see the event unfold.
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In this video, the event is replayed in three distinct wavelengths to highlight different aspects of the eruption.
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The glowing canyon is most easily seen in this image, which shows material at temperatures of 1,800,000°F.
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Charged particles coursing along magnetic field lines are seen in this image, which shows material at temperatures of 1,000,000°F.
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This image shows relatively cooler material on the sun at temperatures of 90,000°F.
 

Related Story

Filament Eruption Creates 'Canyon of Fire' on the Sun

For More Information

NASA.gov

Story Credits

Visualizer/Animator:
Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)

Video Editor:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Producer:
Scott Wiessinger (USRA)

Lead Scientist:
C. Alex Young (NASA/GSFC)

Lead Writer:
Karen Fox (ADNET Systems, Inc.)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11373

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Sun