2. What are they? Arcs of gas that erupt from the sun Made of ionized solar gas (white-hot hydrogen) Large, one could fit multiple Earths in it Also called filaments Held in place by Magnetic Field of Sun Not Static They are:
3. What do they do? Extend out 100’s of 1000’s of miles from sun’s surface. Erupt from sun Stay where they are anywhere from hours to months Located above the chromosphere Eventually float away into other layers of sun They:
4. Why are they there? Because: hot gas in Sun is magnetized Sun rotates, heat in interior churns subsurface layer in big convective bubbles magnetic field gets tangled large magnetic loops burst through the Sun's photosphere and into its atmosphere