How Do Prominences Affect the Earth?
jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/bb/s7/prominences-affect-earth-1.1-800X800.jpg’); }); A prominence is an extension outward from the Sun’s surface that’s visible with appropriate astronomical equipment. Prominences are typically tens of thousands of miles long, though one observed in 1997 extended over 200,000 miles, about 28 times the diameter of the earth. It only takes about a day for a prominence to form, but some can last for as long as several months. Though prominences mostly consist of charged particles and are not solid, their mass is typically around 100 billion tons. Prominences are associated with the release of high energy particles, known as a solar flare. If a prominence breaks apart, it produces a coronal mass ejection. jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(‘#jsArticleStep1 span.image a:first’).attr(‘href’,’http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/bb/s7/prominences-affect-earth-2.1-800X800.
