This picture was taken by the SOHO satellite that orbits the sun. Rising from behind the sun is a solar prominence, or a bright feature extending outward from the sun in a loop shape. Prominences are anchored to the sun in the photosphere and extend toward the Corona. The technical definition of a prominence is a thin cloud of solar gas held to the surface of the sun (in the photosphere as previously stated) as a result of the Sun's magnetic field. Prominences are closely related to filaments, however they are differientiable based on their position around their sun which in turn affects their coloring. Filaments are cooler than air and thus appear dark, however prominences like the one shown above are located on the surface edge of the sun and appear brighter than the space behind them. There are two types of prominences; they can either be quiescent or eruptive. A quiescent prominence lasts up to a few months, but an eruptive prominence like the one in the picture above typically only last a few hours. After this time, they will erupt causing a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) and dispersing hot gas throughout the Solar System. As our sun continues to approach solar maximum in its cycle over the next few years, many more filaments and prominences are expected to occur.
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