
Suspended by magnetic fields below a solar active region a dark filament stretches over 40 earth-diameters. The ominous structure appears to be frozen in time near the Sun's edge, but solar filaments are unstable and often erupt. A small sunspot is breaking through the sun's surface right next to this dark magnetic filament. Rapid evolution of the sunspot could de-stabilize the region, causing the filament to erupt. Amateur astronomers with safely-filtered telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments. The images were captured on February 9 up to Feb. 11, 2021, in extreme ultraviolet light by cameras on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. While the cooler plasma of the filament looks dark, hotter, brighter plasma above traces magnetic field lines emerging from the active region. When seen arcing above the edge of the Sun, filaments actually look bright against the dark background of space and are called prominences. Stay Tuned!
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