In this example (on 6 November 1997) an explosion on the Sun produced a flare seen by the EIT extreme-ultraviolet imager in the central image of this composite. Later images from the component instruments of the visible-light LASCO coronagraph showed a huge puff of gas, a coronal mass ejection, racing off into the solar system and the Earth. SOHO itself was bombarded by energetic particles released in the explosion. Striking the instruments, the particles caused the spectacular 'snow storm' seen in this blue LASCO image.
