The Sun celebrated the new year by ejecting at least six 'eruptive prominences' over 8 days (Jan. 1-8, 2013) to start off the year. Captured by STEREO Behind spacecraft in extreme UV light, the video shows numerous active regions. The Sun is heading into its maximum period of activity, expected in 2013. As the STEREO spacecraft continue to recede from Earth, the rate at which the spacecraft can transmit the data back to earth decreases. In some wavelengths, each spacecraft obtains only one image every two hours, which is why the motion of the movie is somewhat jerky.
13