Interesting display on LASCO

I don't claim to have a lot of hours logged watching these, but I have never quite seen a flare like this. Nothing registering on the scales yet. What do you all make of it?



LINK


LASCO 2

Looks like a beautiful CME to me, but hey I'm no expert. Out of curiosity, where do you watch these?

Hello0 "westcoast" ..



ISON right center coming on view of LASCO C3..

From the beginning ..

Comet C/2012 S1 - ISON, Stereo Ahead HI1-A

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by MariaLida


??? ... so are you saying that the CME is directed toward ISON just out of coincidence, or do you think that ISON is somehow affecting it? It is still some distance from the sun, right?

ETA: I see you changed your post a little, but still wondering what you think of it.

reply to post by TheProphetMark


I'm thinking it looks like more like the tail of a massive flare, that is sure to produce an impressive CME. But I honestly don't know for sure, I am not that well versed in this stuff.

Here is the LINK to the SOHO site where I got those images. Lots of good stuff there!

reply to post by westcoast


If you what to know how I see things ..

Yes effecting the Sun, also in the time what is behind us ..

reply to post by MariaLida


Well it should make for an interesting few days then, if you are right!

I know that ISON could certainly be affected by a CME, but the sun affected by ISON? Seeing as how no one knows what the comet is actually made up of, I guess no one can say for sure what may or may not happen.

reply to post by westcoast

A solar flare is a burst of electromagnetic radiation; a flash of light, radio, x-rays, etc.
CMEs are often, but not always associated with flares.

In this case, judging from the view from STEREO B, the CME probably occurred well around the right limb of the Sun. This would explain why there was no flare observed in association with the CME. It would also mean that the CME did not occur on the part of the Sun facing C/2012 S1 (which is currently on "our" side of the Sun).

The planet above the comet is Jupiter, also on "our" side of the Sun. You need to have a 3D perspective on it. The CME was not directed at the comet.

Well its not aimed at us. Thats a good thing.

Impressive shock front. That plasma bubble is just beginning to expand. Probably moving at a million miles per hour. From our viewpoint its hardly moving at all.

You wouldn't want to be in front of it.

Hopefully someone will bring the compiled time-lapse to show us after it develops.

Biggest nukes in the solar system.

reply to post by Phage


Thanks for the explanation, I know the jist of these things, but that's about it.

Maybe it's partly due to the timing of the image, but that is one impressive looking CME. I'm glad it isn't earth directed (one of the things I have a hard time figuring out, since I don't know the cameras well enough to get the 3D perspective right)

I'm kind of disappointed it isn't aimed at ISON though. That might have made for a cool interaction!

Prominence eruption ..

reply to post by westcoast

I'm glad it isn't earth directed (one of the things I have a hard time figuring out, since I don't know the cameras well enough to get the 3D perspective right)

Anything that "blooms" out to any side of the sun is not heading directly towards Earth.

If it was…

However, when the sun does eject a cloud of plasma and gas directly toward us, the incoming matter seems to surround the sun. Much like a baseball falling from the direction of the sun can seem to grow larger and dwarf the star, the so-called "halo coronal mass ejection" can appear to overshadow its source. Such ejections cause the most problems for the people on Earth.

CMEs

Scroll down to 'Coronal Mass Ejections' in the link.

I don't have the scale right on this, but the odds of a CME coming straight at us are remote. Like placing a cantaloupe on a pole 50 yards away and firing 5 shots a day (in random directions) with a shot gun. Could be forever before you hit the cantaloupe. Even smaller than a cantaloupe. Maybe a lemon … or a pea.

Comet ISON is in solar probe's sights — and a storm is coming!