SUN: CIRCULAR FILAMENT ERUPTION

CIRCULAR FILAMENT ERUPTION and CANYON OF FIRE:

For days, astronomers have been monitoring a remarkable circular filament of magnetism on the sun. On Nov. 15th it erupted. This movie from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the filament slicing through the sun's atmosphere, producing a 'canyon of fire'

The glowing walls of the canyon trace the original channel where the filament was suspended by magnetic forces above the sun's surface. From end to end, the structure stretches more than 300,000 km--a real Grand Canyon.

Inky-black fragments of the filament (must-see movie) flew away from the blast site and formed the core of a CME. It is too soon to say whether the storm cloud is heading for Earth. We will know more in the hours ahead as coronagraph images of the CME become available.
http://www.spaceweather.com/