SOHO Observes March 14 Coronal Mass Ejection

Decades of Sun from ESA & NASA’s SOHO This view of the Sun has been processed by scientists at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., which manages SOHO's LASCO instrument, to merge views from two of LASCO’s coronagraphs: C2, which images closer to the Sun’s surface but has a smaller field of view, and C3, which has a wider field of view. Throughout the video, the Sun releases bursts of material called coronal mass ejections: fast-moving clouds of solar material that can trigger space weather effects on Earth — like auroras, communications problems, and even power outages — and for spacecraft in their path. These storms are more frequent near solar maximum, the period approximately every 11 years when the Sun’s activity is at a high point. The dark area that migrates between the lower left and the upper right of the image is caused by the coronagraph’s occulter arm, which holds the disk to block out the Sun’s face. It appears to change positions periodically as the spacecraft rolls to keep its high-gain antenna, used to transmit data, pointed towards Earth. The occasional blank squares are caused by corrupted data. The bright, horizontally elongated objects that pass through the field of view are planets, which can be so bright that they saturate pixels along the same row. The video begins in 1998 because of a change in the way data was stored after the mission’s first two years. Footage courtesy of The U.S. Naval Research LaboratoryMusic credits: Interstellar Spacecraft by J.C. Lemay, Earth's Orbit by Andreas Andreas Bolldén, Wind Farm Sunrise by J.C. Lemay, Gentle Rain by Andreas Andreas Bolldén, Icelandic Vapors by Aurelien Riviere, Lonesome Path by Sam Joseph Delves, Above The Peaks by Philippe Jakko, Tear Drop by Sam Joseph Delves, Celestial Pole by Andreas Andreas Bolldén, Positive Outcome by Manuel Bleton, Ethereal Journey by Noé Bailleux, Relaxing Setting by Eddy Pradelles, Happiness Therapy by Eddy Pradelle, Moving Forward by Eddy Pradelles, Android Dream by David Ohana, Shimmering Light by Sam Joseph Delves, Breath Of Air by Sam Joseph Delves, Fresh Breeze by Franck Fossey, Cosmic Sunrise by Sam Joseph DelvesWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. Highlights from SOHO's 25 Years in OrbitComplete transcript available. December 2, 1995 marks the 25th anniversary of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO — a joint mission of the European Space Agency and NASA. Since its launch on that date, the mission has kept watch on the Sun. Related pages

An illustration of a sunspot inspired by imagery from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This is a social media video that uses the audio and waveform from the Sounds of the Sun story. The illustration of a sunspot is inspired by imagery from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. Data from ESA and NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has captured the dynamic movement of the Sun’s atmosphere for over 20 years. Today, we can hear the Sun’s movement — all of its waves, loops and eruptions — with our own ears.This sound helps scientists study what can’t be observed with the naked eye.“Waves are traveling and bouncing around inside the Sun, and if your eyes were sensitive enough they could actually see this,” said Alex Young, associate director for science in the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Data from SOHO, sonified by the Stanford Experimental Physics Lab, captures the Sun’s natural vibrations and provides scientists with a concrete representation of its dynamic movements. “We don’t have straightforward ways to look inside the Sun. We don’t have a microscope to zoom inside the Sun,” Young said. “So using a star or the Sun’s vibrations allows us to see inside of it.”These vibrations allow scientists to study a range of complex motions inside the Sun, from solar flares to coronal mass ejections.“We can see huge rivers of solar material flowing around. We are finally starting to understand the layers of the Sun and the complexity,” Young said. “That simple sound is giving us a probe inside of a star. I think that’s a pretty cool thing.”The sounds of the Sun are on display at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. An immersive art installation, called Solarium, uses vivid imagery and sonification to transport listeners to the heart of our solar system. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/sounds-of-the-sun) Related pages