Solar prominence: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

prominence erupting from the Sun

Take a look at an erupting solar prominence as observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite on March 30, 2010

Observe incandescent, ionized gas ejections from the Sun's chromosphere into the corona

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Coronal mass ejection transient solar prominence quiescent solar prominence Corona solar activity Solar cycle Sunspot Solar wind Solar flare Facula

Key People

Pierre Janssen, detail from an engraving

Pierre Janssen

French astronomer

Lockyer

Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer

British astronomer

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy

The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey