Solar Filament Eruption Creates ‘Canyon of Fire’. Images were captured on Sept. 29-30, 2013, by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Image Credit: NASA

This spectacular image was taken on Sept. 29-30, 2013, by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, which constantly observes the sun in a variety of wavelengths. The 200,000 mile long filament ripped through the sun’s atmosphere, the corona, leaving behind what looks like a canyon of fire. The glowing canyon traces the channel where magnetic fields held the filament aloft before the explosion. In reality, the sun is not made of fire, but of something called plasma: particles so hot that their electrons have boiled off, creating a charged gas that is interwoven with magnetic fields.

The yellow plasma see he reaches temperatures of 1,000,000 degrees F. The browner images at the beginning of the movie show material at temperatures of 1,800,000° F. At over 200,000 miles long the energy released in this video is truly impressive.

One of the more impressive videos seen lately it demonstrates the increased level of solar activity we have been seeing lately. It appears the calm before the storm we have been expecting at solar max is now over and the sun is behaving more like we would expect before the magnetic fields flip indicating we have reached the 11 year solar activity peak.

Solar Flares, Strong X-ray Event exceeded X2(R3)

NOAA Space Weather Scales (meaning of R1,
S1, Etc.) can be found at https://www.knowledgeorb.com/current-space-weather/noaa-space-weather-scales/
For more detailed current Space Weather visit KnowledgeOrb Space Weather at https://www.knowledgeorb.com/current-space-weather/
Aurora viewing updates can be seen on the KnowledgeOrb Aurora viewing page. https://www.knowledgeorb.com/current-aurora-borealis-activity-viewing/