Arching Eruption

  • Released Thursday, July 9th, 2015
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:49PM
  • ID: 11912

On June 18, 2015, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, spacecraft observed an arching eruption on the sun. The eruption ultimately escaped the sun's gravity, growing into a substantial coronal mass ejection—a giant cloud of solar material traveling through space. The spacecraft, which watches the sun constantly, captured images of the event in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. The images allow scientists to track the movement of material released from the sun and into space where, if directed toward Earth, it can affect electronics on satellites, GPS communications or even utility grids on the ground. Watch the video to see the event unfold.

This image highlights solar material at temperatures of 1,000,000°F being lifted into the sun’s atmosphere.

This image highlights solar material at temperatures of 1,000,000°F being lifted into the sun’s atmosphere.


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Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Video and images courtesy of NASA/SDO


Missions

This visualization is related to the following missions: