A vast filament of magnetism is cutting across the sun's southern hemisphere today. Run a finger along the golden-brown line in this extreme UV image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and your digit will have traveled more than 400,000 km:

Image
© Solar Dynamics Observatory
A bright 'hot spot' just north of the filament's midpoint is UV radiation from sunspot 1112. The proximity is no coincidence; the filament appears to be rooted in the sunspot below. If the sunspot flares, it could cause the entire structure to erupt.

Update: Today's M1-flare did not destabilize the filament. Stay tuned, however, because sunspot 1112 is growing and more activity is possible in the hours ahead. Readers with solar telescopes are encouraged to monitor developments.



More images: from Eric Roel of Valle de Bravo, México; from Francois Rouviere of Mougins, France; from Jo Dahlmans & Wouter Verhesen of Limburg, The Netherlands; from John Nassr of Baguio, Philippines; from Enrico Colzani of Sormano Astronomical Observatory, Italy; from Stephen Ramsden of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School, Atlanta, GA; from Jean-Pierre Brahic of Uzès, France