| Term: | Prominences |
| Definition: |
Huge columns of gas arcing out over the sun's limb or horizon. When the same structures are seen against the backdrop of the sun, they are called filaments. They are made of cooler solar material, or plasma, supported in the sun's atmosphere by magnetic fields. Prominences and filaments can erupt from the Sun with tremendous energy and are sometimes the source of coronal mass ejections. |