The prominence shot off the left side of the sun in association with an M1 class flare that was not Earth-directed. Credit: NASA/SDO/GSFC › Download video
A beautiful prominence eruption producing a coronal mass ejection (CME) shot off the east limb (left side) of the sun on April 16, 2012. Such eruptions are often associated with solar flares, and in this case an M1 class (medium-sized) flare occurred at the same time, peaking at 1:45 PM EDT. The CME was not aimed toward Earth.
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An eruption on April 16, 2012 was captured here by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in the 304 Angstrom wavelength, which is typically colored in red. Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA
What is a prominence? What is a solar flare? What is a coronal mass ejection?