TRACE - Imaging Solar Eruption Dynamics
The Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE)
Flare Image (Courtesy Lockheed Martin)
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On 21 March 2001, an M1.8 flare occurred in Active Region 9373, starting at 02:28UT, and peaking (in X-rays) around 02:37UT. The flare was associated with a spray of cool material (probably the result of the eruption of a small filament): material is thrown up to a height of approximately 50,000 km, and mostly slides back down again. More interestingly, however, is that the coronal loops seen over the solar edge are somehow driven to oscillate. The oscillations damp rapidly: only three to four back-and-forth swings are seen, with a period that appears to lie around 10 minutes. This phenomenon is very rare; it is interesting because these coronal quakes tell us things about the properties of the coronal magnetic field that are very hard to derive by other means. (Text Courtesy Lockheed Martin) |
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