Solar Prominence
Basic Information
A Solar Prominence is a big arch or loop of plasma extending off the surface of the sun. These loops are so big, you could fly a planet through them (in some cases, even a planet as big as Jupiter). It takes about a day for a prominence to form, and they may last as long as a couple months. Sometimes a prominence will break off and fly out into the solar system - this blast of plasma is known as a Coronal Mass Ejection.
Sources
Bibliography
1. Wikipedia
Game and Story Use
- A spacecraft won't be too threatened by a prominence - any craft close enough to the sun to interact with one already has to be tough enough to survive the much hotter corona of the sun.
- However, a Coronal Mass Ejection caused by a Solar Prominence may present a danger to spacecraft that's not designed for getting close to the sun, not to mention the danger to the Earth. See Coronal Mass Ejection for more information.
- Other stars are likely to have similar phenomenon.
- A huge, hot-burning, supergiant Class O Star may have even bigger prominences, and the resulting coronal mass ejections will be likewise huge and hot.
page revision: 2, last edited: 13 Aug 2009 14:03