Spicules
Error
Evolution of spicules at the solar limb
Hinode Broadband Filter Imager
Temporal evolution of spicules at the solar limb as observed by the Broadband Filter Imager onboard the Japanese Hinode satellite on 2007 April 8. The observations were taken through a Ca II H filter at 396.85 nm.
Spicules are thin and long jets of plasma in the chromosphere. They have diameters of around 500 km and lengths of 5000-10000 km. They have short lifetimes, on the order of 1-5 minutes. During their lifetimes, they show characteristic swaying motions. It is believed that, at any given time, there are more than 100,000 spicules on the solar surface. They transport mass and energy from the chromosphere into the transition region and the corona.
We still do not know how they are produced, although the chromospheric magnetic field is thought to play an important role. Due to the difficulties in measuring chromospheric magnetic fields, the magnetic properties of spicules are poorly known.
To download the movie, click HERE
Movie credit: Joten Okamoto (NAOJ/JAXA)
Text credit: Luis Bellot Rubio (IAA-CSIC)
Observations: Hinode (ISAS/JAXA, NAOJ, NASA, STFC, ESA)
Source: Joten Okamoto's Solar Gallery
Original file: SOT_070408_spicule.mpg