The Sun

Erupting Prominence




Credit: SOHO-EIT Consortium, ESA, NASA

The prominence, as sun spots and the solar cycle, is caused by the changing magnetic field. Normally the prominences keep the solar plasma (gas) captured to the surface of the sun. Every now and then there are eruptions like on this picture from a major eruption in 2002, close to sun spot maximum.

We are now at the start of a new solar cycle, we say last for about 11 years, and yesterday we saw another sun spot. We expect to see solar wind reaching the earth tomorrow 6th March.