Solar ERUPTION: Powerful Sun Activity Captured By NASA Spacecraft (VIDEO)

NASA's STEREO spacecraft has captured spectacular images of a solar eruption, the largest solar prominence in 15 years.

The activity was caught on camera in extreme UV light as the prominence blasted away from the sun on April 12 and April 13.

Prominences are cool clouds of plasma that hover above the Sun's surface, notoriously unstable and on occasion they erupt like this one. However, this one was much more dramatic than most, NASA says.

NASA pieced together images to create this amazing video clip, showing about 19 hours of activity.

WATCH THE SOLAR ERUPTION:

Comments

[SiriusMrE]

05:36 PM on 04/19/2010

"Regardless of the direction of the main driving current coming into the Sun, the eleven-year reversal of the magnetic loops can be explained by transformer action. If the main magnetic field that induces the surface currents is growing in strength, the surface current will point in one direction. If the main magnetic field starts to weaken in intensity, the secondary (surface) current will reverse direction. Consequently the magnetic polarity of the loops will also reverse. Notice that this mechanism does not require the main solar driving current itself to reverse direction, only to vary in amplitude. It also does not depend on the direction of the primary current."

Solar Magnetic Polarity Reversal: http://thunderbolts.info/tpod/2009/arch09/090909polarity.htm

[G52]

07:27 AM on 04/18/2010

Well if its about mother nature and mother earth there seems to be nothing that could be done anyway. What worries me is if it is HAARP or some foreign government involved with changing weather that is weakening the earths magnetic field or causing other problems that we are not aware of. The flares and sunspots do have an effect on the earth, [and communications] but I don't see how any of this relates or ties into the Mayan calendar. If the world suddenly lost power our world would change drastically.

[chuck prebys]

04:31 PM on 04/19/2010

One EMP in any large city would do it.

No one would even have to be injured either.

Just a little POP!............

[StephenJK]

06:24 AM on 04/18/2010

Something beautiful is happening.

What? What is happening?

Something beautiful.

[TrashTalkin9400]

09:12 PM on 04/17/2010

2012 is coming. :-)

[Kitwanga]

10:49 PM on 04/17/2010

So is 2013

[PlayTOE]

01:07 PM on 04/17/2010

We see the largest solar prominence in 15 years because of the sunspot cycle that varies in length between about 11 to 14 years.
The solar cycle is a magnetic cycle and we see the sun's magnetic field reverse on an approximately 22 year time frame.

As sunspots increase the sun gives off a little more energy, so we will see an increase in heat for the next few years, unlike the past few where the sun was a little colder than average.

*(note, despite having a cooler sun, we did have a warming earth, so we do have an issue with the globe warming)

[donbrown]

01:35 PM on 04/17/2010

The Magnetic reversal of the sun happens every 11 years -- that last one was in 2001. Guess when the next one is due?

According to NASA Report:"the Sun:Sun Does a Flip":

"The Sun's magnetic poles will remain as they are now, with the north magnetic pole pointing through the Sun's southern hemisphere, until the year 2012 when they will reverse again.
This transition happens, as far as we know, at the peak of every 11-year sunspot cycle -- like clockwork."

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast15feb_1/

[PlayTOE]

02:48 PM on 04/17/2010

very nice link don.
But if you check carefully, you will find that the 11-year sunspot cycle is not quite as regular as clockwork, although that is an average. Somehow, a little randomness finds its way into the mix.

[Matt Osborne]

06:35 PM on 04/17/2010

This is why I've found the denialists very annoying when they blame solar activity. We've been at a 100-year low in solar activity while CO2 warmed the atmosphere, and now it's going to get even hotter. It's like someone refusing to take off their sweater and complaining about the thermostat settings at the same time.

[PlayTOE]

02:50 PM on 04/18/2010

Denial-ists never check facts.
The sun was cooling over the past six years while the earth was warming.
By also denying that the pattern is not consistent somehow they blame global warming on the sun,

They presume the problem will go away and they can just enjoy 'business as usual' with no changes and shirk responsibility for their actions.

In 1973 Sheikh Yamani said ... "The Stone Age Didn't End Because We Ran Out of Stones" -- .....they asked what would (OPEC) do when there is competition for oil? And he said, "We'll just drop the price of oil every time there is competition."

The Oil industry has been removing it's competition by buying up and shelving any new technology for clean green energy. Funding global warming denial groups is a part of that strategy.

[dems08]

12:34 PM on 04/17/2010

even more evidence of global warming!

[Andrew Martinson]

12:13 PM on 04/17/2010

Is this why I got so sunburnt the other day? ^ ^

[sayrock]

11:11 AM on 04/17/2010

Science lovers -- Check out this video: Carl Sagan - 'A Glorious Dawn'

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc

It's up for a Webby in the video remixes/mash-up category

[Pyfagorus]

11:30 AM on 04/17/2010

I enjoyed that. Hawking sounds especially good with the Auto-tune treatment. :>

[land2341]

04:18 PM on 04/17/2010

Very cool. Thanks!

[travismmorrison]

11:04 AM on 04/17/2010

so cool

[travismmorrison]

11:50 AM on 04/17/2010

so cool

[StephenJK]

06:17 AM on 04/18/2010

I think it's kinda hot.

[Paul Berry]

12:43 PM on 04/17/2010

couldn't agree more

[GoBamaGo]

05:45 PM on 04/17/2010

really?

[kf40]

10:52 AM on 04/17/2010

This is amazing. When I was a kid we had that movie Our Mr. Sun in class. It showed the biggest one ever recorded and told how far out in space those things erupt. It's unbelievable and I wish they told that for this one.

[enoughofrr]

10:08 AM on 04/17/2010

Something is going on.

[Amalek]

11:09 AM on 04/17/2010

I hope you are wrong, but I am getting a really bad feeling about these teabaggers.

[Hirnlego]

11:44 AM on 04/17/2010

There better be, I won't put up with nothingness

[k6007]

12:01 PM on 04/17/2010

lol

[Farzan]

09:48 AM on 04/17/2010

If one has to have a religion, worshiping the sun makes all the sense. look up " Zoroastrianism".

[mrjames1]

11:56 AM on 04/17/2010

A billion+ worship the son/sun. Many do it on Sunday.

The sun in the sky can turn the water of grapes into wine, and the reflection of the sun can walk or dance on water. The sun is the light of our world, planet earth.

That being said, every couple of hundred years Mr Sun blast our planet with a superstorm of charged particles, like in 1859. When that happens again, you better have your peanut butter and olive oil already stocked up.

[esquilax]

01:46 PM on 04/17/2010

Be ready here;

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/17/how-to-survive-the-apocal_n_540940.html

;-)

[esquilax]

09:32 AM on 04/17/2010

What a Star! And there are billions more like it.

[Erzsebet Gilbert]

12:51 PM on 04/17/2010

And doesn't that very thought just blow your mind???

[Imzadi]

08:00 AM on 04/17/2010

Awesome (in the true meaning of the word)!

I hope we also get a spectacular aurora borealis soon!!

[invirginia]

08:30 PM on 04/18/2010

Unless you are in the northern hemisphere you won't see a borealis. In the southern hemisphere, it's an aurora astralis. An anomaly anywhere else, it's just an aurora -- which would be a great treat.

[Imzadi]

09:57 PM on 04/18/2010

I'm am north - so it will be borealis. :-)

[chuychrist]

05:31 AM on 04/17/2010

Nature is spectacular and beautiful at the same time. Great video, thanks!