Eruptive prominence (captured by STEREO, 2010-04)

The STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft caught this spectacular eruptive prominence in extreme UV light as it blasted away from the Sun (April 12-13, 2010). This was certainly among the largest prominence eruptions seen by either the STEREO or SOHO missions. The length of the prominence appears to stretch almost halfway across the Sun, about 500,000 miles (800,000 kilometers). Prominences are cooler clouds of plasma that hover above the Sun's surface, tethered by magnetic forces. They are notoriously unstable and commonly erupt as this one did in a dramatic fashion.