Epic SOHO moments March 11+, 2023

[Christopher S.]

Is this looking at a CME from behind? In a couple of hours we'll have it on the video feed with diff combo, but I couldn't help but notice a helical outflow.

Upon reviewing SOHO again, I think a CME earlier in the day from that side of the disk is interacting with plasma and the outflow of gasses in the vicinity, while this new CME is cutting through the phenomenon, given how obviously defined of a form it displays here. It is then turning on an interesting axis as the material and velocity almost overlap in near-by space. It's nothing special I think, just a very cool physics phenomenon which could be summarized to much greater depth than I can manage, right now.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Christopher S.
Will update; typos; Uploaded an image, as URL would update image shown automatically

[Jesterface23]

It's a filament eruption on our side of the disk, south of yesterday's filament eruption. Getting some interesting views in 2D.

[Christopher S.]

46 minutes ago, Jesterface23 said:

It's a filament eruption on our side of the disk, south of yesterday's filament eruption. Getting some interesting views in 2D.

Indeed we are! I see it in Gold 

[Jesterface23]

The CME overlaps its self some below, but that about all I can easily point out lol

Or a smaller CME related to region 3245 that launched less than an hour prior may be involved.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Jesterface23

[Philalethes]

22 hours ago, Christopher S. said:

I couldn't help but notice a helical outflow

I couldn't help but notice that on the imagery too.

The helical outflow is quite apparent.

Jokes aside, it's a very interesting observation. It could just be an optical illusion, i.e. our brains constructing an apparent helical structure where there is none; however, given how magnetic fields cause charged particles to move in helical patterns, I'd say it sounds plausible. Intuitively I would guess that it's possible for ejecta to get temporarily or permanently caught in the longer field lines that extend high up in the corona, i.e. the ones that are responsible for the streamer and pseudostreamer phenomena. Normally the Solar wind culminates into a thin line there, but if larger amounts of particles get ejected at greater speed, i.e. if a CME occurs somewhere close to such streamers/pseudostreamers, I imagine it would look something like in that imagery. Maybe I'm completely off base, but those are my two cents.

Speaking of helical flows, I just saw this clip from the limb; here it's unmistakable that the falling plasma is moving in highly pronounced helical patterns:

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Philalethes Bythos
added clip

[Drax Spacex]

The asymmetry of the above NE limb eruption, linear and slanted not spherical, seems to contribute to the formation of the vortex.  The northern portion of the filament initially launched is distance from the AR before getting pulled back by the strong magnetic forces of the AR.

I would not be surprised if the magnetic configuration and layout of the AR relative to the filament location and orientation plays a significant role in creating the forces that produce the vortex.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Drax Spacex
AR layout

[Philalethes]

13 hours ago, Drax Spacex said:

The asymmetry of the above NE limb eruption, linear and slanted not spherical, seems to contribute to the formation of the vortex.  The northern portion of the filament initially launched is distance from the AR before getting pulled back by the strong magnetic forces of the AR.

I would not be surprised if the magnetic configuration and layout of the AR relative to the filament location and orientation plays a significant role in creating the forces that produce the vortex.

It essentially seems to me like the field line is "breaking apart" (probably from being rearranged into longer field lines), so some of the plasma in the northern part that were originally traveling outward still get caught in the southern field line (along with the rest of the plasma that was already traveling more parallel to the surface or inward) that is now much more vertical, hence the columnar helix of plasma as it falls down to the surface following this field line. At least that's what I think is going on in broad terms, it might be more complex, or maybe not entirely the right conceptualization.

Edit:

Never mind the above (although I'll let it stand as a testament to what it seemed like to me at first), I see better what you mean now; the AR itself is not being rearranged at all, and the plasma from the filament is essentially being captured by different field lines due to indeed being ejected in a slanted (i.e. a component parallel to the surface) fashion. Makes a lot of sense, especially considering how it seems like the coronal loops of the AR remain more or less the same, and how the plasma is following helical paths around lines extending from two different foot points in particular (in addition to some other smaller ones, possibly) upon closer inspection.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Philalethes Bythos