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Handle on the Sun
Date: 14 Sep 1999
This Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) image of a huge, handle-shaped prominence was taken on Sept. 14,1999. Taken in the 304 angstrom wavelength, prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere.
Emission in this spectral line shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees K. Every feature in the image traces magnetic field structure. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures.
Credit: NASA/European Space Agency
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