Yesterday, Argentine astronomer Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau was photographing the #sun when one of the biggest prominences in years leaped into space. "As I watched, the plasma fountain kept growing and reached an impressive height of more than 380,000 km, more than the distance between Earth and the Moon!" he says.

"This solar phenomenon was truly spectacular," says Poupeau. "Extending like a serpent of fire, the magnitude and beauty of the prominence left me in awe, reminding me once again of the majesty and power of the universe around us."

On its way out of the sun's atmosphere, the prominence entrained a #CME and hurled it into space: movie. The CME won't hit Earth, but it will strike Mercury during the late hours of July 18th.

https://spaceweather.com/