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Is a large, bright eruption of gas extending outward from the Sun's surface often in a loop shape?

A) Solar Flare
B) Coronal Mass Ejection
C) Solar Prominence
D) Solar Wind

1 Answer

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Final answer:

A large, bright loop-shaped gas eruption from the Sun's surface is a solar prominence, different from solar flares and CMEs which eject material into space.

Step-by-step explanation:

A large, bright eruption of gas extending outward from the Sun's surface, often in a loop shape, is known as a solar prominence. These spectacular phenomena are associated with sunspots and can appear as red features during a solar eclipse. Eruptive prominences can send matter upward into the corona at high speeds reaching heights of more than 1 million kilometers above the photosphere. In contrast, solar flares are rapid eruptions releasing immense amounts of energy, and a coronal mass ejection (CME) involves the ejection of coronal material, mainly protons and electrons, into interplanetary space at high speeds. The solar wind predominantly comes from coronal holes, where gas streams away from the Sun into space unhindered by magnetic fields.

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