14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month, a mammoth plasma plume resembling the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, came into being on the surface of the Sun.
The event was caught on film by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, launched back in 2010 and observing our parent star ever since. Just scroll down to check out the footage.
NASA researchers say this oddly shaped plasma plume lingered on the surface of the Sun for over two days. Thus, it appeared on August 17 and lasted until August 19.
During this time, it kept coughing out a steady stream of particles. Although other similar plumes are noticeable close to it, its sheer size makes this one quite a rarity.
“A single plume of plasma, many times taller than the diameter of Earth, rose up from the Sun, twisted and spun around, all the while spewing streams of particles for over two days before breaking apart.”
“Other lesser plumes and streams of particles can be seen dancing above the solar surface as well,” NASA scientists write in the video's description.
Also known as solar prominences, such formations on the Sun are made up of magnetized plasma erupting from the star's chromosphere and heading into the corona.
Interestingly, researchers say plasma plumes are usually about a hundred times cooler than the corona they pierce. This is because the chromosphere itself is cooler than the corona.
