Full size [237.36 KB]
Exploding Loops
The images shown were obtained from the Soft the X-ray Telescope (SXT) on the Yohkoh solar research spacecraft on 12 February 1992. All four images include the sun's northwest limb curving from the top of the image to the lower right. The large filamentary structure in the first image ( 17:40 UT ) is observed in rapid transition in the next three images taken at 18:52, 19:09, and 20:32. Uchida, et. al. in a paper titled "Continual Expansion of the Active-Region Corona Observed by the Yohkoh Soft X-Ray Telescope", Publ. Astron Soc. Japan v. 44, p L155 (1992) discuss the implication of finding many such expansions. These images were enhanced to bring out the loop structure and the many small bright spots are a result of this enhancement.