Context:
Scientists recently observed a large prominence near Sun’s north pole.
Relevance:
GS I: Geography
Dimensions of the Article:
- Solar Prominences
- Solar Filaments
- Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs)
Solar Prominences:
- Solar prominences are large, loop-like structures visible on the edge of the solar disk against the dark background of space.
- They are anchored to the Sun’s surface in the photosphere and extend into the corona.
- They are cooler and denser than the surrounding plasma in the Sun’s corona and are shaped by the Sun’s magnetic field.
- Prominences can extend for thousands of kilometers and can last for several days or up to several months.
- Some prominences erupt and give rise to coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Solar Filaments:
- Sometimes, prominences are observed against the bright background of the Sun instead of at the edge of the Sun’s disk.
- These prominences appear dark compared to the bright background of the Sun and are called solar filaments.
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs):
- CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona that propagate outward into interplanetary space.
- A CME carries about a billion tons of material out from the Sun at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second.
- CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms on Earth, which can significantly impact both ground- and space-based technological systems.
-Source: The Hindu
