The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter mission recently captured a dramatic solar prominence rising from the edge of the sun, a rare and captivating sight even for mission scientists accustomed to our home star's constant activity. The footage, recorded earlier this year by the spacecraft's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), shows a dark, arching structure of plasma suspended above the solar surface.

What is it?

This solar prominence is made of electrically charged gas, or plasma, confined by the sun's intricate magnetic fields. Although the sun's atmosphere is blisteringly hot —often exceeding one million degrees — this trapped plasma is relatively cool at roughly 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit (10,000 degrees Celsius).

The prominence's lower temperature causes it to appear darker against

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