Massive loop of plasma erupting from the Sun caught on video in wild timelapse

A massive loop of plasma has been caught on video by astrophotographer author and science communicator Miguel Claro, showcasing the Sun in incredible detail.

The loop of plasma occurred between February 6 and February 7, 2022, and according to Claro, who explained on his website, the solar prominence resulted in coronal mass ejection (CME) to take place, which is a cloud of solar erupting from the surface of the Sun and being shot out into space. The astrophotographer captured numerous images over the course of two days, and the plasma loop was visible. Once the images were saved, they were then stitched together, producing a 4K high-resolution solar movie.

As for the loop of the plasma itself, Claro details its size and estimates based on his measurements made using pixels; the solar prominence is approximately 10 times the size of Earth but stretches around the Sun's limb for "thousands of kilometers." Notably, the above image of the plasma loop was given the "Highly Commended" distinction in the Royal Observatory of Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022 competition within the category "Our Sun".

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Giants of the Solar System - Solar Prominence with Planetary Scale by Miguel Claro

"The final result is a 4K high-resolution solar movie comprising around 2.5 hours for each day, with a total of 5 hours of images," wrote Claro

"According to my measurements in pixels, the size of this prominence... was about 10x the size [of] our planet Earth, in height, but stretching around the sun's limb for thousands of kilometers," added Claro

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