A coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from just around the edge of the sun on May 1, 2013, in a gigantic rolling wave. CMEs can shoot over a billion tons of particles into space at over a million miles per hour. This CME occurred on the sun’s limb and is not headed toward Earth.
The third coronal mass ejection in two days erupted off the sun in the direction of Mercury on April 21, 2013, at 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT). This image of the CME, shown shooting off the right side of the image, was capture by the joint ESA and NASA Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The sun is blocked in this image so its brightness doesn’t obscure the solar atmosphere, the corona. [Full Story]
This image of a coronal mass ejection (CME) was captured on April 20, 2013. The CME is headed in the direction of Mercury. The large bright spot on the left is Venus. [Full Story]
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a powerful M6.5 class flare, the strongest of 2013 at the time, at 3:16 EDT on April 11, 2013. This image shows a combination of light in wavelengths of 131 and 171 Angstroms. [Full Story]
This full-disk view of the sun was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 11, 2013, during the strongest solar flare yet seen in 2013. [Full Story]
The joint ESA/NASA Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this series of images of a coronal mass ejection (CME) on the morning of April 11, 2013 over the course of 3:48 EDT to 4:36 EDT. Mars can be seen on the left. [See full story.]
SOHO captured this coronagraphic (a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star so that nearby objects can be seen) image of the April 11, 2013, CME as it moves further out into the heliosphere. [See full story.]
JP Brahic took this photo from France on April 5, 2013. He used a refractor Astro-Physics 155mm F/D 8.5 and a Bassler ACA1300 camera with filter H-Alpha 1A ° to capture the image. [Full Story]
A solar prominence began to bow out and the broke apart in a graceful, floating style in a little less than four hours on March 16, 2013.
The ESA and NASA Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured these images of the sun spitting out a coronal mass ejection (CME) on March 15, 2013, from 3:24 to 4:00 a.m. EDT.
The Sun blasted out five coronal mass ejections (CMEs) over about two days (Feb. 26-28, 2013) and each one had quite a different shape and structure. Image released March 1, 2013.
This image shows the Earth-facing surface of the Sun on February 28, 2013, as observed by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. HMI observed just a few small sunspots on an otherwise clean face, which is usually riddled with many spots during peak solar activity.
The bottom two black spots on the sun, known as sunspots, appeared quickly over the course of Feb. 19-20, 2013. These two sunspots are part of the same system and are over six Earths across.
Three views over time of the coronal mass ejection (CME) released by the sun on Feb. 9, 2013 as seen by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
A huge filament of super-hot plasma, nicknamed the "Dragon Tail," erupts from the sun on Jan. 31, 2013, in this still image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Laboratory posted this image on Facebook, Jan. 31, 2013. They wrote: "Here is a first look at 45 minutes (15 min. intervals) of this beautiful filament collapsing and blasting into space."
Astrophotographer Phil Whitebloom of Elkridge, MD, sent in his photo of the sun showing different features. He writes: "There is a large prominence, spicule, loop prominence, another prominence where you could see the magnetic fields beginning to connect, and filaments.... I am a member of the Howard County Astornomy League (HAL) in Howard County, MD." Image taken Jan. 19, 2013.
Skywatcher John Chumack took this image of the sun with about 14 sunspot groups from Dayton, OH on Jan. 7, 2013.
