                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2024 May 26
    A large filament on the upper left is seen lifting away from the Sun,
      pictured on the lower right. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                           A Solar Filament Erupts
                   Image Credit: NASA's GSFC, SDO AIA Team

   Explanation: What's happened to our Sun? Nothing very unusual -- it
   just threw a filament. Toward the middle of 2012, a long standing solar
   filament suddenly erupted into space, producing an energetic coronal
   mass ejection (CME). The filament had been held up for days by the
   Sun's ever changing magnetic field and the timing of the eruption was
   unexpected. Watched closely by the Sun-orbiting Solar Dynamics
   Observatory, the resulting explosion shot electrons and ions into the
   Solar System, some of which arrived at Earth three days later and
   impacted Earth's magnetosphere, causing visible auroras. Loops of
   plasma surrounding the active region can be seen above the erupting
   filament in the featured ultraviolet image. Our Sun is nearing the most
   active time in its 11-year cycle, creating many coronal holes that
   allow for the ejection of charged particles into space. As before,
   these charged particles can create auroras.

     Your Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday?
                                 (post 1995)
                     Tomorrow's picture: Chamaeleon Sky
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

