Giant solar prominence. Ultraviolet (UV) telescope image of a huge prominence (upper right) emerging from the surface of the Sun. Prominences are huge clouds of relatively cool dense plasma suspended in the Sun's hot, thin corona. At times, they can erupt, escaping the Sun's atmosphere. Emission in this spectral line shows the upper chromosphere at a temperature of about 60,000 degrees Kelvin. The hottest areas appear almost white, while the darker red areas indicate cooler temperatures. Imaged by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft, on 14th September 1999.