Coronal Mass Ejections Observed at the Total Solar Eclipse on 13 November 2012

摘要

White-light observations of the total solar eclipse on 13 November 2012 were made at two sites, where the totality occurred 35 min apart. The structure of the corona from the solar limb to a couple of solar radii was observed with a wide dynamic range and a high signal-to-noise ratio. An ongoing coronal mass ejection (CME) and a pre-CME loop structure just before the eruption were observed in the height range between 1 - 2 R_⊙. The source region of CMEs was revealed to be in this height range, where the material and the magnetic field of CMEs were located before the eruption. This height range includes the gap between the extreme ultraviolet observations of the low corona and the spaceborne white-light observations of the high corona, but the eclipse observation shows that this height range is essential for the study of CME initiation. The eclipse observation is basically just a snapshot of CMEs, but it indicates the importance of a continuous coverage of CME observations in this height range in the future.