JUMPING PLASMA FOUNTAINS: Today, a massive jet of plasma shot out of the sun’s southwestern limb. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the eruption:
The base of the jet is twice as wide as Earth, and its apex is 10 times as tall. The towering plume almost certainly propelled a CME away from the sun (confirmation awaits fresh data from SOHO coronagraphs). It won’t hit Earth.
What caused the eruption? First, take a look at this image and, then, replay the movie. Sunspot AR3007 launched a ‘bullet’ of plasma, which arced over the edge of the sun, landed, and made a really big splash.
