On Aug. 31, 2012, a Giant Prominence on the Sun Erupted (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

On Aug. 31, 2012, a Giant Prominence on the Sun Erupted

Caption

On Aug. 31, 2012, a giant prominence on the sun erupted, sending out particles and a shock wave that traveled near Earth. This event may have been one of the causes of a third radiation belt that appeared around Earth a few days later, a phenomenon that was observed for the very first time by the newly-launched Van Allen Probes. This image of the prominence before it erupted was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).

Credit

NASA/SDO/AIA/Goddard Space Flight Center

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