CISM

SOHO image animation (57k)
images from SOHO-EIT

Observations Underlying and Validating Models
white light

Coronagraph white light images from both space and on the ground show the coronal density structures called streamers, plus coronal activity projected beyond the limb. The "halo" CME events, observed as rings or partial rings around the Sun, are thought to be a good predictor of a geomagnetic storm several days later. White light photospheric images from ground-based telescopes and TRACE of course show where these coronal transients and other features are located with respect to sunspots.

The top images were made available by the SOHO LASCO investigation team. The right panel includes a fairly ideal halo event. An image of a coronal transient made with the ground-based coronagraph at Mauna Loa Observatory, operated by HAO, is shown below. HAO also houses the archive of images from the SMM spacecraft coronagraph, which covers a significant part of a solar cycle. An example of a CME picture from the SMM archive is included here. NASA's planned dual spacecraft mission, STEREO, will obtain coronagraph images from several perspectives to provide an observational basis for 3D reconstruction of coronal features.

Click on the top two images to the left to view the corresponding animation. Click on the bottom two images to enlarge.

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