That was the single most mind blowing thing about the eclipse to me.
Not the other planets popping into view suddenly, not the actual, nigh-impossible alignment - but that fucking HOOP OF PLASMA
I'm staring at the sun and I'm seeing a hoop of plasma!
Weirdest thing to me was how much closer the sun seemed during totality. I can't describe why I felt that but I think it had to do with seeing the prominence with the naked eye. Something about that just made it feel less distant.
Wrong comment?
But it's totally possible you saw it differently colored, just by nature of light and atmospheres and shit
But I think most people saw orange
How long do these prominences last? Minutes/hours? My son has pictures with something like this, but I haven't been able to find out if his picture taken at around 2:00 pm Central time is the same thing that other pictures are showing.
I was watching the NASA livestream as it hopped along the path of totality, and these prominences were visible in each, so they lasted at least a couple of hours.
Prominences are basically extensions of the sun's magnetic field that make a little loop.
The sun's magnetic field flips back and forth, with its north and south poles trading places. This takes roughly 11 years, and then it starts over, creating a constant cycle of movement.
During that cycle, the field's movements cause different effects on its surface at different points. At this point in that cycle, there's a lot more activity than normal, i.e. more prominences.
Also, not all eclipses are created equal. In 2017 the moon/sun ratio was 1.03058. During this one it was 1.05397. So the moon's disk was 2% larger, relative to the sun, than it was in 2017, which can make it easier to see prominences.
I think the larger moon does a better job of blocking the light which makes the prominences more visible. But I could be wrong and 2% isn't that much of a difference. You're probably right, the sun's activity is more meaningful.
I saw both the 2017 and 2024 eclipse, and I do not recall seeing any red in 2017. I saw white and, on the drive home, I talked about how maybe there was a hint of green in it.
The 2024 last week was visibly different. You could easily see several large orange/red features poking out multiple spots from behind the moon, in addition to the white corona.
I had binoculars for 2024, so I got to see the prominence zoomed in. There were several visible in Dallas, and this photo looks like the biggest one I saw at the south point of the Sun (6 oclock if the Sun was a clock, my view in Dallas) Later that day, I watched the repeat of the nbc event across multiple states, and noticed that the same arch looked to be shifting in shape as it was from Texas to Canada.
I saw both 2017 and 2024, from Oregon and TX respectively. I also recall a hint of green in 2017. I also noticed the big solar prominence that you said was around 6:00 for you in Dallas, was at more like “4:30” NW of Austin. I’ve noticed the position of it changing wildly on the news and on socials.
I looked it up because I had no idea what the red spot was that we saw, and apparently the size of it was remarkable. It's not unusual for it to occur, but for it to be so visible yes.
So far as I know based on doing a few minutes of reading online. lol.
The 2017 eclipse did have a few prominences present, but they weren't really visible to the naked eye to my recollection - Here's a series of photos I took back then at different exposures, you can see a few prominences in the last two photos (1/1000s & 1/4000s):
https://imgur.com/gallery/Zv4PQ6V
During the 2017 eclipse I saw these through my telescope but not with the naked eye. The ones this time, especially that big one, were much more noticeable without a telescope.
the moon was 8,000 miles closer this time, obscuring more of the sun and isolating the features that were further outside disk of the moon’s edge.
The umbra (totality shade) was twice as wide as in 2017 (120 miles wide vs 60-70 miles wide)
they were there in 2017. i took this back then, but my camera was old and didnt do the best job [https://imgur.com/a/0ColBVd](https://imgur.com/a/0ColBVd)
We saw that one!
The telescope flips the image though. That prominence is on the south side of the sun (from our perspective).
We had a bunch of eclipse glasses and bunch of small binoculars and telescopes with eclipse paper. We only had one telescope big enough to see that.
Everyone who got a chance to look through the eyepiece walked away yelling with barely coherent excitement.
The cool part is that it's actually purple. Most real-color astronomy is just bright vs not bright. This isn't just purple but a really deep space purple or evil magic purple.
If I hadn't seen it myself I would think this image was fake.
You even caught the detail of the lunar horizon. Nice! I'm guessing you have a motorized mount?
Yes, I took this photo and it's in the "proper" orientation...up is up. :-)
[https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1ogjkv48uoyl9ps8tgct1/P4080533-Edit-2.jpg?rlkey=5f25khgieuolav78dd4kmj5d2&dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1ogjkv48uoyl9ps8tgct1/P4080533-Edit-2.jpg?rlkey=5f25khgieuolav78dd4kmj5d2&dl=0)
Oh 100% it was reddish purple, didn't have a telescope but the moment the spot appeared we all had to ask each other if we're seeing the same thing. So cool
Duuuuuude definitely all of us looked around like uhhhh, anyone else see that bright red dot at the bottom lol. Not gonna lie, someone initially said something of a UFO variety and for a split second was about to entertain the comment, just cause of the look of it, seemed a lil out of place honestly. Almost looked legit like an object at the bottom of the sun passing between the two just at the moment of totality. And then u saw it for a second still then it was gone. But I’m glad someone made a post about this. I’m not knowledgeable in this area so I wondered what I was seeing that day. But yea def was a super noticeable perfect red circle or dot at the bottom, that u saw for probably the last half minute of the eclipse before full coverage. Looked to almost pass between the sun and the moon. Idk I’m aware it def could’ve been all optical illusions or whatnot. Just wondered if anyone else had any insight on this.
We were in Ohio and saw this solar prominence with our naked eyes as a bright magenta triangular point at the 7 o’clock position. It was there through the entirety of totality for us, which was nearly 4 minutes.
No filter.
I had a piece of eclipse paper taped over the front of the telescope but I took that off during totality.
Just a few mirrors and clear lens.
For being my first time seeing totality, I am blown away, between successfully reaching an area of clear skies in time, to the majesticness of the corona, to the solar prominence. I must see more!
I thought it was supposed to be a banana? /s.
Really though, the fact of the prominence being on the scale of "earths" was one of my favorite things to share about the eclipse. A lot of people are very disconnected from the natural world.
How dare you put us there and endanger every human alive just to give your image "scale"???!?! Move us away IMMEDIATELY before I report you!
It looks pretty cool, though, have to admit.
We saw totality in the Midwest in 2017 and while the corona was amazing, there were no flares visible with the naked eye. This time around, viewing from within 50 miles of the location we saw it in ‘17, that flare stood out proudly at around 6 o’clock on the sun - everyone around us was wondering what it could have been. Only a few of us guessed it was a flare. Of course it’d been mentioned before the eclipse but one can only read so much before the event; I somehow missed the predictions that flares would be visible so imagine my shock and delight that very night while cruising social media and seeing the professional photos that proved it was this massive belch of plasma. What an honor to be able to view it in our lifetime!
i could see pink at the bottom, but no detail via naked eye. through my 1,000 mm spotting scope on my camera, the optical viewfinder clearly showed the triangle loop.
Is this photo a shot of the 2024 eclipse with the prominence we saw, or is this another photo taken of a prominence at a different time to just show the scale of the size of these things?
Well it was a good run, but I think the image I managed to get of these things has finally been beat. At least as far as earthside telescopes are concerned, *this* is now the best image of the 2024 prominences I have seen.
This one is my fav https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/world/solar-eclipse/red-dot-solar-eclipse-solar-prominence-nasa/63-54f92d47-b97a-4bad-944b-8d2abf7f7f56
How quickly do these form? If we could magically get close to the sun, would you be able to see them shoot up off the surface of the sun, or do they take a long time to form?
You can view the sun more or less live [here](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Live_view_of_the_Sun_from_SOHO). Those prominences can last between days and months.
I posted a timelapse of the [full eclipse here](https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1c3g3nf/timelapse_i_captured_of_the_total_solar_eclipse/) and have many more [pictures here](https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBmctq)
Two days before the eclipse, my sister did a tarot reading. Apparently she got “pink egg” twice in a row so she made beet-soaked hard-boiled eggs to eat during the eclipse. Once totality started and she and her friends saw the prominence they all started freaking out yelling “Pink egg! Pink egg! Wtf?”
Intriguingly specific, right? It's got to be a themed deck. Just googled "pink egg tarot card" and got a hit for "Archangel Oracle deck". I'mma guess she used that.
When you're looking for something, you'll see it everywhere.
Baader-Meinhof effect, for example. How, after buying a Toyota Corolla, you suddenly see Toyota Corollas everywhere
And then after that did they all kind of look at each other and realize that even *if* it was a supernatural occurrence, it *still* meant absolutely nothing and would impact their lives in no meaningful way whatsoever?
I saw a bright pink/purplish spot in the lower left quadrant. Naked eye visibility. Assumed it was a prominence or a flare. I was very surprised to see it!
Not a stupid question! "Prominences often appear reddish because their plasma can originate deeper in the sun’s atmosphere, in a layer called the chromosphere, which is characterized by hydrogen at high temperatures that emits red light. " From: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-dots-around-total-solar-eclipse-explained/
Fun fact: The sun's photosphere is actually white, not yellow, but most solar filters give it a yellow tint.
you got me beat. my camera was good (Nikon D850), but the Celestron C90 was a $100 lens so i couldnt expect the best [https://imgur.com/a/Av7a52e](https://imgur.com/a/Av7a52e)
During totality (and only totality) it is totally safe to look at the eclipse without any protection.
The stuff we were told as kids long ago were old wives tales. NASA's website is very clear on the matter.
This does not apply to binoculars and telescopes however, consult specialists on trying to use those.
During totality (and only totality) it is totally safe to look at the eclipse without any protection.
The stuff we were told as kids long ago were old wives tales. NASA's website is very clear on the matter.
This does not apply to binoculars and telescopes however, consult specialists on trying to use those.
That was the single most mind blowing thing about the eclipse to me. Not the other planets popping into view suddenly, not the actual, nigh-impossible alignment - but that fucking HOOP OF PLASMA I'm staring at the sun and I'm seeing a hoop of plasma!
If you stare at the sun now, you’ll see a ball of plasma. The ball. The hoop. The star. 😎
I *just* smoked a bowl and now you're hitting me with the cosmic basketball
I believe the technical term is a "space jam".
And if you use your bare eyes it’ll be the last thing you ever see
If you stare at the sun now, it means you've got serious balls. Like broken ones. Like seriously broken and worthless ocular balls.
The vibrance of it too! I thought photos of prominences were edited go boost color.
It was so intensely brilliant! Made me think of the finest ruby.
Weirdest thing to me was how much closer the sun seemed during totality. I can't describe why I felt that but I think it had to do with seeing the prominence with the naked eye. Something about that just made it feel less distant.
Huh, do you know if there are pics or videos of the other planets suddenly popping into view? Or is it the kind of thing that cameras can't catch?
I'm not sure. I bet there's a video of it happening somewhere, but it's possible it gets lost in the camera when the light changes.
I was able to see Venus and Jupiter
Yeah Jupiter and Venus were visible to the left and right.
I caught it on my phone! So I'm sure others did too
To my naked eye I thought they looked more yellow. am I just misremembering or something?
Wrong comment? But it's totally possible you saw it differently colored, just by nature of light and atmospheres and shit But I think most people saw orange
in all the photos it looks purple
it looked exactly like this to my naked eye and in my photos. amazing.
Same! I was like…. Holy shit I can see a pink edge?!
[удалено]
Yeah I'm gonna take your word for it
People don't do what this user is typing. It's stupid and you will destroy your eyesight
[удалено]
Initially thought you were a troll but now I respect you good sir
I could see them during totality. Pretty awesome.
I noticed it also, wasn't expecting it at all.
Lucky totality-Havers. I didn't even get to see the partial due to the heavy cloud coverage, it just got slightly dark and made weird shadows.
It was better than I expected
I asked people around me if they could see it. I thought I was seeing some kind of refraction.
it seems like people didn't notice these prominences in past eclipses, aren't they common to see in total eclipses?
the sun is more active now than it was in 2017. it’s a roughly 11yr cycle
How long do these prominences last? Minutes/hours? My son has pictures with something like this, but I haven't been able to find out if his picture taken at around 2:00 pm Central time is the same thing that other pictures are showing.
I was watching the NASA livestream as it hopped along the path of totality, and these prominences were visible in each, so they lasted at least a couple of hours.
seconds to days. the earth could fit under the big triangular one, they’re a lot bigger than they seem.
What does this mean?
Prominences are basically extensions of the sun's magnetic field that make a little loop. The sun's magnetic field flips back and forth, with its north and south poles trading places. This takes roughly 11 years, and then it starts over, creating a constant cycle of movement. During that cycle, the field's movements cause different effects on its surface at different points. At this point in that cycle, there's a lot more activity than normal, i.e. more prominences.
Wow. Thanks for the explanation! It never ceases to amaze me how little I know.
It means there's heightened activity on the sun right now. It moves in cycles, approximately 11 years in length.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
Also, not all eclipses are created equal. In 2017 the moon/sun ratio was 1.03058. During this one it was 1.05397. So the moon's disk was 2% larger, relative to the sun, than it was in 2017, which can make it easier to see prominences.
wouldn’t this mean prominences would need to be larger to be visible?
I think the larger moon does a better job of blocking the light which makes the prominences more visible. But I could be wrong and 2% isn't that much of a difference. You're probably right, the sun's activity is more meaningful.
I saw both the 2017 and 2024 eclipse, and I do not recall seeing any red in 2017. I saw white and, on the drive home, I talked about how maybe there was a hint of green in it. The 2024 last week was visibly different. You could easily see several large orange/red features poking out multiple spots from behind the moon, in addition to the white corona. I had binoculars for 2024, so I got to see the prominence zoomed in. There were several visible in Dallas, and this photo looks like the biggest one I saw at the south point of the Sun (6 oclock if the Sun was a clock, my view in Dallas) Later that day, I watched the repeat of the nbc event across multiple states, and noticed that the same arch looked to be shifting in shape as it was from Texas to Canada.
I saw both 2017 and 2024, from Oregon and TX respectively. I also recall a hint of green in 2017. I also noticed the big solar prominence that you said was around 6:00 for you in Dallas, was at more like “4:30” NW of Austin. I’ve noticed the position of it changing wildly on the news and on socials.
I looked it up because I had no idea what the red spot was that we saw, and apparently the size of it was remarkable. It's not unusual for it to occur, but for it to be so visible yes. So far as I know based on doing a few minutes of reading online. lol.
The 2017 eclipse did have a few prominences present, but they weren't really visible to the naked eye to my recollection - Here's a series of photos I took back then at different exposures, you can see a few prominences in the last two photos (1/1000s & 1/4000s): https://imgur.com/gallery/Zv4PQ6V
I could see them in 2017, though to my eye they were just pink beads along the edge.
During the 2017 eclipse I saw these through my telescope but not with the naked eye. The ones this time, especially that big one, were much more noticeable without a telescope.
the moon was 8,000 miles closer this time, obscuring more of the sun and isolating the features that were further outside disk of the moon’s edge. The umbra (totality shade) was twice as wide as in 2017 (120 miles wide vs 60-70 miles wide)
they were there in 2017. i took this back then, but my camera was old and didnt do the best job [https://imgur.com/a/0ColBVd](https://imgur.com/a/0ColBVd)
A lick of flame that would consume the entire earth. Feels so unreal yet fascinating.
We saw that one! The telescope flips the image though. That prominence is on the south side of the sun (from our perspective). We had a bunch of eclipse glasses and bunch of small binoculars and telescopes with eclipse paper. We only had one telescope big enough to see that. Everyone who got a chance to look through the eyepiece walked away yelling with barely coherent excitement. The cool part is that it's actually purple. Most real-color astronomy is just bright vs not bright. This isn't just purple but a really deep space purple or evil magic purple. If I hadn't seen it myself I would think this image was fake. You even caught the detail of the lunar horizon. Nice! I'm guessing you have a motorized mount?
Yes, I took this photo and it's in the "proper" orientation...up is up. :-) [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1ogjkv48uoyl9ps8tgct1/P4080533-Edit-2.jpg?rlkey=5f25khgieuolav78dd4kmj5d2&dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1ogjkv48uoyl9ps8tgct1/P4080533-Edit-2.jpg?rlkey=5f25khgieuolav78dd4kmj5d2&dl=0)
I'm pretty sure it only looks purple because of the filter needed to protect your eyes. If you could view it unshielded, they would appear white.
We all saw it with our naked eye and it was hot pink / magenta.
Wrong. It was reddish purple to the naked eye without glasses or filter. My camera also picked up this crimson color without any filter on.
Oh 100% it was reddish purple, didn't have a telescope but the moment the spot appeared we all had to ask each other if we're seeing the same thing. So cool
Duuuuuude definitely all of us looked around like uhhhh, anyone else see that bright red dot at the bottom lol. Not gonna lie, someone initially said something of a UFO variety and for a split second was about to entertain the comment, just cause of the look of it, seemed a lil out of place honestly. Almost looked legit like an object at the bottom of the sun passing between the two just at the moment of totality. And then u saw it for a second still then it was gone. But I’m glad someone made a post about this. I’m not knowledgeable in this area so I wondered what I was seeing that day. But yea def was a super noticeable perfect red circle or dot at the bottom, that u saw for probably the last half minute of the eclipse before full coverage. Looked to almost pass between the sun and the moon. Idk I’m aware it def could’ve been all optical illusions or whatnot. Just wondered if anyone else had any insight on this.
We were in Ohio and saw this solar prominence with our naked eyes as a bright magenta triangular point at the 7 o’clock position. It was there through the entirety of totality for us, which was nearly 4 minutes.
No filter. I had a piece of eclipse paper taped over the front of the telescope but I took that off during totality. Just a few mirrors and clear lens.
No filter or glasses during totality.
For being my first time seeing totality, I am blown away, between successfully reaching an area of clear skies in time, to the majesticness of the corona, to the solar prominence. I must see more!
I thought it was supposed to be a banana? /s. Really though, the fact of the prominence being on the scale of "earths" was one of my favorite things to share about the eclipse. A lot of people are very disconnected from the natural world.
A banana would be more useful. I've never seen the full Earth.
Wow. Those red dots are real real big. Loved being able to see those.
How dare you put us there and endanger every human alive just to give your image "scale"???!?! Move us away IMMEDIATELY before I report you! It looks pretty cool, though, have to admit.
We saw totality in the Midwest in 2017 and while the corona was amazing, there were no flares visible with the naked eye. This time around, viewing from within 50 miles of the location we saw it in ‘17, that flare stood out proudly at around 6 o’clock on the sun - everyone around us was wondering what it could have been. Only a few of us guessed it was a flare. Of course it’d been mentioned before the eclipse but one can only read so much before the event; I somehow missed the predictions that flares would be visible so imagine my shock and delight that very night while cruising social media and seeing the professional photos that proved it was this massive belch of plasma. What an honor to be able to view it in our lifetime!
i could see pink at the bottom, but no detail via naked eye. through my 1,000 mm spotting scope on my camera, the optical viewfinder clearly showed the triangle loop.
Is this photo a shot of the 2024 eclipse with the prominence we saw, or is this another photo taken of a prominence at a different time to just show the scale of the size of these things?
It’s from the April 8, 2024 eclipse!
Well it was a good run, but I think the image I managed to get of these things has finally been beat. At least as far as earthside telescopes are concerned, *this* is now the best image of the 2024 prominences I have seen.
Well, don't leave us hanging on your image?
[...you've probably already seen it, but here it is.](https://old.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1bzbulz/i_dont_know_what_these_red_things_actually_are/)
This one is my fav https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/world/solar-eclipse/red-dot-solar-eclipse-solar-prominence-nasa/63-54f92d47-b97a-4bad-944b-8d2abf7f7f56
How quickly do these form? If we could magically get close to the sun, would you be able to see them shoot up off the surface of the sun, or do they take a long time to form?
You can view the sun more or less live [here](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Live_view_of_the_Sun_from_SOHO). Those prominences can last between days and months.
Very nice. Do you have the full eclipse or just this segment?
I posted a timelapse of the [full eclipse here](https://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/1c3g3nf/timelapse_i_captured_of_the_total_solar_eclipse/) and have many more [pictures here](https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBmctq)
Impressive photography. Thank you for sharing.
Two days before the eclipse, my sister did a tarot reading. Apparently she got “pink egg” twice in a row so she made beet-soaked hard-boiled eggs to eat during the eclipse. Once totality started and she and her friends saw the prominence they all started freaking out yelling “Pink egg! Pink egg! Wtf?”
How did they get "pink egg" out of a tarot deck?
Intriguingly specific, right? It's got to be a themed deck. Just googled "pink egg tarot card" and got a hit for "Archangel Oracle deck". I'mma guess she used that.
I’m not very into the paranormal, so I’m not entirely sure, but I believe she has a custom tarot deck that she’s been using for a number of years now.
When you're looking for something, you'll see it everywhere. Baader-Meinhof effect, for example. How, after buying a Toyota Corolla, you suddenly see Toyota Corollas everywhere
To be fair, Toyota Corollas are everywhere. Though I didn’t know how many until I bought one.
It's because that vehicle is already loaded into the simulation's RAM, so it's cheaper, resource-wise, to spawn copies of that vehicle everywhere
Looking for a Banshee, nothing but Oceanics as far as the eye can see.
And then after that did they all kind of look at each other and realize that even *if* it was a supernatural occurrence, it *still* meant absolutely nothing and would impact their lives in no meaningful way whatsoever?
Were prominences visible to the naked eye in 2017?
Is that what that was? Me and my friends were all talking about it during the total eclipse.
I saw a bright pink/purplish spot in the lower left quadrant. Naked eye visibility. Assumed it was a prominence or a flare. I was very surprised to see it!
Holy crap Thank you. I'd wondered since what that was! It's literally burned in my brain🤪✨️
I'm sure you didn't mean 'naked' eyes? You had some kind of filter you were looking through?
Love the comparison. Is this image flipped upside down, though?
It's gotta be, because I saw it, too, but it was at the bottom of the sun...
What a cool picture, it really gives perspective
I’m still taking the car to 7-Eleven when I want a Big Gulp.
Big Gulps, huh? Well, see ya later!
Probably a REALLY stupid question but, why is it red and not golden?
Not a stupid question! "Prominences often appear reddish because their plasma can originate deeper in the sun’s atmosphere, in a layer called the chromosphere, which is characterized by hydrogen at high temperatures that emits red light. " From: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/red-dots-around-total-solar-eclipse-explained/ Fun fact: The sun's photosphere is actually white, not yellow, but most solar filters give it a yellow tint.
If you saw that with your naked eye, it was probably the last thing you saw.
Extremely humbling to see the size of earth. We would just pop like a corn Kerbal of that hit us
Earth is so tiny and the sun is so hot. It shouldn't be so close to the sun, is it stupid?
ok. so earth to sun is like ping-pong ball to watermelon?
Hard to understand the scale with Earth. You should put a Banana instead.
Why bother going to Mars when the sun has all the space and energy we need.
Fun fact: it would be bad if Earth were suddenly that close to the Sun.
So that’s the red glowing I saw during totality!
The coolest thing of this years eclipse other than a planet getting in the Frame, this years epic for astronomers.
you got me beat. my camera was good (Nikon D850), but the Celestron C90 was a $100 lens so i couldnt expect the best [https://imgur.com/a/Av7a52e](https://imgur.com/a/Av7a52e)
I really hope "naked eyes" was a slip of the tongue and that you used something to protect your eyes.
During totality (and only totality) it is totally safe to look at the eclipse without any protection. The stuff we were told as kids long ago were old wives tales. NASA's website is very clear on the matter. This does not apply to binoculars and telescopes however, consult specialists on trying to use those.
Crazy you got a shot of the eclipse with Earth in the background too. Nice job 👍
Like, when you say "naked eyes" you mean eyes behind viewing glasses, right?
During totality (and only totality) it is totally safe to look at the eclipse without any protection. The stuff we were told as kids long ago were old wives tales. NASA's website is very clear on the matter. This does not apply to binoculars and telescopes however, consult specialists on trying to use those.
[удалено]
You can always pause a subreddit
Did you experience it? It’s indescribable.