The world's numerous incredibly powerful satellites allow those of us who spend too much time on the ground to engage in games of cosmic voyeurism from time to time. Take, for instance, this picture of the sun snapped by an orbital telescope belonging to the NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, which shows our nearest star -- how shall we put it? -- outgassing.
That hot mess protruding from the top of our favorite star is known as a solar prominence, which is a cloud of solar gas held in place above the surface by the sun's magnetic field. This particular prominence -- one of the biggest ever recorded â is categorized as an eruptive prominence, which generally end with a coronal mass ejection of hot gas into the solar system.
Take a gander at the video below to see one in action.
Story link: http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/sun-fart-captured-by-nasa-satellite/19679114
That hot mess protruding from the top of our favorite star is known as a solar prominence, which is a cloud of solar gas held in place above the surface by the sun's magnetic field. This particular prominence -- one of the biggest ever recorded â is categorized as an eruptive prominence, which generally end with a coronal mass ejection of hot gas into the solar system.
Take a gander at the video below to see one in action.
Story link: http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/sun-fart-captured-by-nasa-satellite/19679114
