Huge solar prominence caught by NASA's SDO

[Typho0n86]

how long was that over?



[smacknrat]

0:16 is plasma. not gas

[X1KAtatracknearyou]

the sun is hell and all the evil souls on this planet these days...dying and going there...is why the sun is getting hotter. lol

[krissmith1986]

@X1KAtatracknearyou How high are you?

[isabellalley]

truly beautiful i have to admit, i can't even begin to fathom the amount of power the sun has in itself, its quiet amazing

[TheSpiritof1969]

@isabellalley

It is losing mass at the rate of 4000 tons a second.

[TOSViolator]

It's good to know the sun acts like one huge erupting volcano.

[jaredknightcom]

Love it !

[Anonymous738]

Oh my god, Giygas is back!

[evergreen1982]

Is that a real image take by a telescope?

[mrdexter86]

@evergreen1982

Yes, it is

[Jedi2155]

The gas thinks it can escape but the Sun is like BITCH PLEASE GET YO ASS BACK IN THE KITCHEN!

[WC7495]

Very very very neat!

[Lucuskane]

I feel like an evil genius, just watching this. Like playing with the dark arts. Scary.

[jaythebadkid]

This video is just so epic.

[flowerpotproductions]

i have another question... the sun is a big ball of gases and nitrogen and stuff.... does it have flames? if it does how are there flames in space?

[Xonk61]

@flowerpotproductions well, technically, Earth is in space too, flames are possible on Earth because we have oxygen in our atmosphere. But the Sun's energy is more of a result of nuclear activity occurring... a fusion reaction.

[flowerpotproductions]

@Xonk61 oh! aha.

ANOTHER question aha! What fields must you learn to be an astronomer? im planning on being one and im in 8th grade so i must know fast

[Xonk61]

@flowerpotproductions It pleases me to hear that you've got a strong interest in science! I'm not an astronomer per se, though I've been looking through telescopes at the skies since I was 8, but I think I can still recommend that you study in the fields of physics and mathematics for a strong background you can take into the field of astronomy. I suggest also that you look up your school counselor, and ask that person what courses are required!

[flowerpotproductions]

@Xonk61 Thank you so much! I will definately do that!

[VideoMenu]

What, by the way, makes this better is realizing the sun is like (what?) 100 or 108 Earth widths in diameter? Nice.

[VideoMenu]

That is wicked. That's for posting it!

[KnolweBadda99]

Gas does not follow magnetic field lines.

Plasma does.

[doumarroj]

God´s wrath is coming.....

[shotox21]

@doumarroj lol how could you possibly say something like that, BASED on this video? This happens all the time, on likley every star, for BILLIONS of years. Now, because of this video, God's wrath is coming? See why it's hard for me to believe?

[SimaoMarto]

just curiosity, but which kind of gas are we seeing here? How can we see it?, I mean, on the surface of the sun there is only hydrogen, which is invisible...

[Xonk61]

@SimaoMarto a superheated gas will glow as it enters the fourth state of matter, Plasma...

[realscience1]

Phil, you wouldn't have a clue. You make it sound like a volcanic eruption. It's clearly an electrical effect of the electric sun. It is a voltage equilibrating process between local magnetic fields.

[memprime]

If this were replayed at a slower speed with the right kind of music, it would be very hypnotizing. BTW, this is one of the most awesome things I've seen on youtube. Thanks.

[archiemedes42]

How sped up is the clip? This can't be real time, can it?

[archiemedes42]

@archiemedes42 Sorry didn't see the start...

[AtheistVendetta]

@archiemedes42 Right in the beginning of the clip it states that this is 4-hours compressed into 35 seconds. So each second represents about 7 minutes.

[GSatiFan]

Wow! How beautiful only our sun is...thx for showing this.

[frededison]

Magnetized plasma being twisted and pulled by the Sun's powerful and complex magnetic fields. Very cool to watch and very hot if you were there.

That squiggly black line near the center is a bit of dust on the CCD camera.  Google "SDO observes massive eruption, scorching rain" for more information.

[dumoulin11]

that is immense, it's a little creepy to think our planet would look small compared to this.

[JustinWebbMusic]

@dumoulin11 Not even just small--a pinprick. That's what astonishes me.

[dumoulin11]

@JustinWebbMusic yeah literally a pinprick - how tiny and fragile we are!

[concen]

why do these prominence's get sucked back into the sun?

Watch the video to see what I mean. They seem to expand out and then collapse back into the sun...

[alien8ted]

Why does it have to look so damn beautiful?

[egod111]

Wow

This is great.

[blurglide]

LOL- someone thumbed-down this video. WTFO?

[lukequixotesanjose]

@blurglide

The thumb down will probably have come from a moon hoaxer... I'd bet money on it. Moon hoaxers don't like Phil because he opposes their views. They just can't deal with someone cleverer than them. It's a great video is it not? Awesome stuff from Dr Plait... thanks for uploading.

[godsend420]

stunning

[kyle7286]

wow...

[Razorgeist]

Incredible!

[Maxdwolf]

@RangerX55 According to Wikipedia, the Sun's magnetic field is about 50-100 microTesla in the photosphere, compared to about 30 for the earth. I thought the diff. would be much larger.

[saintaureus]

I hate the sun, I hope it dies soon.

[AtheistKharm]

@saintaureus that would suck

[Arithorath]

Thank you for the posting Phil. WRITE MOAR BOOKS! RAWR

[FLPanthersandMarlins]

beautiful

[luckystrke]

Really cool! How much is this speed-up?

[AgentEnigma]

Stunning, like ghost wraiths from a horror movie.

[lazarsavic]

super

[EvieGurl6]

Wouldnt the suns gravity also be pulling those gases back..?

[protopod]

Nice.

[Clausfarre]

Gas that falls like rain? My underpants have experienced that quite a few times.

[thaswagga]

@Clausfarre rofl ewwxP

[Dreadg0]

hey Phill can you tell me where do you teach ( university ) if you teach ofcorse.

[320iguy]

so its Sols magnetic field that allows it to flow back or is it like a falling rock?

[demonslayer55555585]

A nice place to have a vacation!

Heard it's sunny!

[AdaPiper]

Nice, thank you!

[choowee]

subahan'Allah :)

[solitary200]

superb

[HecG]

AMAZING!

[OMGSEASALT]

100,000 F good temp to roast a marshmallow or two

[redshift40]

Is that a hair on the cam?

[fragelius]

umm is it me or do u see on this some huge asteroid impacting sun just before the erruption of gas? 0.11 in middle of the screen

[LifeinaRaindrop]

Would anything happen if that super-hot gas was released in the direction of earth? Or is our own magnetic field strong enough to protect us from that release of radiation and cosmic rays?

[martiangrundy]

@LifeinaRaindrop

It could very well do damage to electrical and electronic systems, if large enough. A release as you term it, is what's known as a CME, or Coronal Mass Ejection.

There is a constant but variable solar wind streaming outwards from the sun. Our magnetic field does indeed protect us from this. A CME is sometimes large enough to overwhelm our magnetic field.

The Northern/Southern lights, are this solar wind, channelled down into the atmosphere by the magnetic field at the poles

[dr3ddy]

Thanks alot for sharing! That video gave me a soulgasm :D

Peace and Love to you, my friend

[a300pilotster]

Is that real time.

[kevman5]

@a300pilotster no, it said in the beginning that it was 4 hours compressed into 35 seconds

[xxbennyboixx]

@a300pilotster No, that video was sped up from 4 hours.

[Nocturnous]

That was great!

[CriticalAtheist]

That was amazing and frightening. Thank you Mr. Plait!

[oggleman]

woah dude that was awesome, first footage i've ever seen from SDO i had a feeling this was gonna send back some great stuff, can't wait to see more

[truvelocity]

It looks like a giant magnet.

[Albukhshi]

that was quite the magical moment. beautiful, yet savage in its size.

jus beautiful.

[krice66]

That's amazing!

I work in the same cubicle with one of people who works on SDO. Exciting stuff :)

[tailspin37]

spectacular!

[sageSPH]

i love the Sun, but sometimes it can be damn scary

[TheSkepticalAtheist]

@sageSPH

Totally agree with this. Just watching these videos, in a strange way, gives me the creeps. It's like looking at something that just doesn't quite go along with what you see in normal, day to day life. Eerie.

[sageSPH]

@TheSkepticalAtheist totally. ever since i heard about solar flare and CME's always liked to keep an eye on the Sun lol

[mummifiedcheese]

cool

[ChrissyoSpace]

Awesome!