Solar Tornado Released into Space in a Time Lapse Captured from Portugal on 20th April 2023


| | |

On 20th of April 2023, I noticed that the solar chromosphere was featuring a gigantic prominence, so I prepared my solar telescope to start the photo session as I normally do when we have some interesting activity as well as clear and stable sky at Dark Sky® Alqueva region, in Portugal. After about 1h of images, I noticed that this prominence was growing even more which means that probably something bigger as about to happen and I couldn’t imagine that one of my dreams of capturing a Solar Tornado in motion was about to turn into reality. Due to my position on a terrace, my view at this time of the year is blocked after 4:30 PM, so I only had around 1h20m to keep capturing as much images as I could for a time lapse sequence that could show the evolution of this giant of plasma and the incredible moment when it suddenly lifted off, being released into space. According to Spaceweather.com “unlike tornadoes on Earth, which are shaped by wind, tornadoes on the sun are controlled by magnetism. Solar magnetic fields twist in a furious spiral, dragging clouds of plasma around with them. This particular tornado over-twisted, pinched off, and flew straight away from the sun. The debris will not hit Earth.” Here is the animations from NASA SDO and LASCO-c2 (Cactus CME detection) from this same day, showing the same giant as seen from the probe in Space. It seems that Cactus as detected also a CME or at least the release of this Tornado like if it was a CME. The final result is a 4K high resolution solar movie comprising 290 images over the course of about 2h, between UT13h15 and UT15h07.

PT: No dia 20 de Abril de 2023, notei que a cromosfera solar apresentava uma proeminência gigantesca, então rapidamente me apressei a preparar o meu telescópio solar para iniciar a sessão de fotos como normalmente faço quando temos alguma atividade interessante e céu está limpo e estável na região do Dark Sky® Alqueva, em Portugal. Após cerca de 1h de imagens, notei que a proeminência estava a crescer ainda mais o que significava que provavelmente algo maior estaria para acontecer. Não poderia era imaginar que um dos meus sonhos de captar um Tornado Solar em movimento estava prestes a se tornar realidade. Devido à posição em que estou localizado, a minha visão nesta época do ano é bloqueada depois das 16h30, pelo que só tinha cerca de 1h20m para continuar a captar o máximo de imagens possível para criar a sequência de time lapse que pudesse mostrar a evolução desse gigante de plasma e o incrível momento em que repentinamente ele “se descolou”, sendo lançado vigorosamente para o espaço. De acordo com Spaceweather.com “ao contrário dos tornados na Terra, que são moldados pelo vento, os tornados no sol são controlados pelo magnetismo. Os campos magnéticos solares giram em uma espiral furiosa, arrastando nuvens de plasma com eles. Este foi arrancado e voou direto para longe do sol. Os detritos não atingirão a Terra.” Aqui estão as animações da NASA SDO e LASCO-c2 (detecção de CME do sistema Cactus) deste mesmo dia, mostrando o mesmo gigante visto a partir da sonda no espaço. Parece que o Cactus também detectou um CME ou pelo menos o lançamento deste Tornado como se fosse uma CME. O resultado final é um filme solar de alta resolução 4K composto por 290 imagens ao longo de cerca de 2h, entre UT13h15 e UT15h07.

 

   


Above are a still shot presented in portrait version, intended to help conduct the reader attention to the most interesting parts of the image. Below is possible to watch the video time lapse sequence compiling 290 shots processed, each one as result of a stack of the best 200 frames from each raw video. The final result is a 4K high resolution time lapse movie comprising around 2h of images.

PT: Acima está uma foto apresentada em uma versão retrato com o objetivo intencional de ajudar a conduzir a atenção do leitor para as partes mais interessantes da imagem. Em baixo é possível ver o vídeo time lapse compilando 290 captações processadas, cada uma como resultado de um stack dos melhores 200 frames de cada vídeo raw. O resultado final é um filme time lapse de alta resolução de 4K que condensa cerca de 2h de imagens.


Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos

SW Esprit 120ED Professional for time lapse and close-up shots | William Optics ED80 for wide angle shots| EQ-6 Pro mount | Daystar Quark Prominence filter| Player One Apollo-M Max |Focuser Sesto Senso 2 | Stack of 200 frames for each single image, captured in average seeing conditions from Dark Sky® Alqueva territory, Portugal.

Important Note | Nota Importante:  Never look and point a telescope or any other optical equipment directly to the sun without a proper and specialized safty filters! It can blind you forever.  PT: Nota Importante –  Nunca aponte um telescópio ou qualquer equipamento óptico directamente para o sol e observe através dele sem filtros especializados e seguros. Causará cegueira irreversível!

 

BUY THIS PRINT | COMPRAR ESTA IMPRESSÃO



Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image
– Make your order Now! 

You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional.  You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.

How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.


    Your Name | O seu Nome (*)

    Your Email | O seu E-mail (*)

    Select your country | Escolha o seu País

    Size and Type of Prints to Order with Price (*)

    Select Type of Paper - For Prints Only

    Intended to Pay with | Tenciona Pagar com (*)

    Shipping | Envio Internacional (*)

    Link of the picture you choose from the gallery

    Your WhatsApp Number | O seu Contacto WhatsApp

    Delivery Address | Additional Questions

    Copyright 2024 © All rights reserved to the author Miguel Claro | The website content is primarily in english, and partially in portuguese: en | pt