An Erupting Prominence

An Erupting Prominence is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's exhibition, Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes, from May 26, 2010 - May 2, 2011.  

Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool, dense plasma suspended in the Sun’s hot, thin corona. Like this large, twirling prominence, they can sometimes erupt and escape the Sun’s atmosphere.

SOHO, January 18, 2000
Image Number: WEB11394-2010