[ETL]

For purposes of scale, the white ring represents the ~one million mile-wide Sun. Approximately 109 planet Earths, placed side-by-side, could fit across the white ring/diameter of the Sun. The CME explosion is the very large, comparatively faint looped structure seen at the top of the Sun. Click "movie" (above) to see it exploding outward. Again, 109 Earths across that nearly 1 million mile-wide white ring! -etl

More solar imaging at the NASA-SOHO website link below.

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

[PetroniusMaximus]

Whew!

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well we don’t have to worry about that one.

[unkus]

Good thing it’s on the other side.

[ETL]

For more info about CMEs (coronal mass ejections), click on link:
http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme.html

[ETL]

“A coronal mass ejection (CME) is an ejection of material from the solar corona, usually observed with a white-light coronagraph.

The ejected material is a plasma consisting primarily of electrons and protons (in addition to small quantities of heavier elements such as helium, oxygen, and iron), plus the entraining coronal magnetic field.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection

[matthew fuller]

“History shows that big sunspot cycles ‘ramp up’ faster than small ones,” he says. “I expect to see the first sunspots of the next cycle appear in late 2006 or 2007—and Solar Max to be underway by 2010 or 2011.”

Who’s right? Time will tell. Either way, a storm is coming.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/10mar_stormwarning.htm

[Jabba the Nutt]

Looks like the quiet part of the solar cycle has ended. Will we see more sunspots start up? And the cooling of the past 14 years ought to turn around.

Anybody remember Faulty Towers with John Cleese. He had an episode, where German guests were coming and he was advised "don't mention the war". Well, the Warmists' motto is "don't mention the big flaming ball of fire in the sky". Because people might think that it has something to do with heating or cooling the planet. We can't afford to have that.

[PGalt]

WOW! Fascinating. Thanks for posting.

[ETL]

Earth would be about the apparent size of one those distant background stars (~109 Earths across the white ring).

[VeniVidiVici]

Aw geez. Next thing you know all the networks will go to a 24hr sun tsunami watch.

[Smokin' Joe]

So, does this mean the aurora borealis will perk up, or are the particles headed the wrong way?