Somersaulting CME

NASA image acquired May 30, 2011

On May 30, 2011, the STEREO Behind spacecraft caught a prominence in the process of leaping from one part of the Sun to another. In this movie: www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5804079351 combining images from the EUVI and COR1 telescopes, the prominence is first seen erupting by EUVI in images taken in the Helium II emission line at 304 Angstroms. At higher elevations, it is seen in white light by the COR1 telescope. In the COR1 images, the prominence pauses. Some of the prominence material drains back down, but most of it is deflected to the north, and ends up raining down on a completely different part of the Sun, far from where it started. This is very unusual behavior for an erupting prominence, and this event is sure to be carefully studied by scientists.

Some out-of-focus dust particles just in front of the COR1 telescope are briefly visible toward the end of the movie.

Credit: NASA/GSFC/STEREO

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

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