SOHO Pick of the Week: Brightening of Magnetic Loops Signal Flare Event 27 Dec 2001
On December 26, 2001, a solar flare blasted from Active Region 9727.
It was observed in extreme ultraviolet as an area of strong
brightening of magnetic loops in the lower corona that lasted for
several hours. This marked the beginning of a high-energy proton
event that pelted the SOHO spacecraft for almost a day. The active
region is easily identified in the first image. Then the protons
become visible in the second image as white snowy particles that
strike the SOHO spacecraft. This continues through the last two
images and beyond. The event was also associated with a coronal mass
ejection.
