In this paper we present the first automatically constructed LASCO CME catalog, a result of the application of the Computer Aided CME Tracking software (CACTus) on the LASCO archive during the interval September 1997 -January 2007. We have studied the CME characteristics and have compared them with similar results obtained by manual detection (CDAW CME catalog). On average CACTus detects less than 2 events per day during solar minimum up to 8 events during maximum, nearly half of them being narrow (< 20 • ). Assuming a correction factor, we find that the CACTus CME rate is surprisingly consistent with CME rates found during the past 30 years. The CACTus statistics show that small scale outflow is ubiquitously observed in the outer corona. The majority of CACTus-only events are narrow transients related to previous CME activity or to intensity variations in the slow solar wind, reflecting its turbulent nature. A significant fraction (about 15%) of CACTus-only events were identified as independent events, thus not related to other CME activity. The CACTus CME width distribution is essentially scale invariant in angular span over a range of scales from 20 to 120 • while previous catalogues present a broad maximum around 30 • . The possibility that the size of coronal mass outflows follow a power law distribution could indicate that no typical CME size exists, i.e. that the narrow transients are not different from the larger well-defined CMEs.

Abstract. On May 13, 1998 the EIT (Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) on board of SoHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) and TRACE (Transition Region And Coronal Explorer) instruments produced simultaneous high cadence image sequences of the same active region (AR 8218). TRACE achieved a 25 s cadence in the Fe ix (171Å) bandpass while EIT achieved a 15 s cadence (operating in "shutterless mode", SoHO JOP 80) in the Fe xii (195Å) bandpass. These high cadence observations in two complementary wavelengths have revealed the existence of weak transient disturbances in an extended coronal loop system. These propagating disturbances (PDs) seem to be a common phenomenon in this part of the active region. The disturbances originate from small scale brightenings at the footpoints of the loops and propagate along the loops. The projected propagation speeds roughly vary between 65 and 150 km s −1 for both instruments which is close to and below the expected sound speed in the coronal loops. The measured slow magnetoacoustic propagation speeds seem to suggest that the transients are sound (or slow) wave disturbances. This work differs from previous studies in the sense that it is based on a multi-wavelength observation of an entire loop bundle at high cadence by two EUV imagers. The observation of sound waves along the same path shows that they propagate along the same loop, suggesting that loops contain sharp temperature gradients and consist of either concentric shells or thin loop threads, at different temperatures.

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The Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on board the SOHO spacecraft has been operational since 2 January 1996. EIT observes the Sun over a 45 ࣾ 45 arc min field of view in four emission line groups: Fe IX, X, Fe XII, Fe XV, and He II. A post-launch determination of the instrument flatfield, the instrument scattering function, and the instrument aging were necessary for the reduction and analysis of the data. The observed structures and their evolution in each of the four EUV bandpasses are characteristic of the peak emission temperature of the line(s) chosen for that bandpass. Reports on the initial results of a variety of analysis projects demonstrate the range of investigations now underway: EIT provides new observations of the corona in the temperature range of 1 to 2 MK. Temperature studies of the large-scale coronal features extend previous coronagraph work with low-noise temperature maps. Temperatures of radial, extended, plume-like structures in both the polar coronal hole and in a low latitude decaying active region were found to be cooler than the surrounding material. Active region loops were investigated in detail and found to be isothermal for the low loops but hottest at the loop tops for the large loops.Variability of solar EUV structures, as observed in the EIT time sequences, is pervasive and leads to a re-evaluation of the meaning of the term 'quiet Sun'. Intensity fluctuations in a high cadence sequence of coronal and chromospheric images correspond to a Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum. This can be interpreted in terms of a mixed stochastic or periodic driving of the transition region and the base of the corona. No signature of the photospheric and chromospheric waves is found in spatially averaged power spectra, indicating that these waves do not propagate to the upper atmosphere or are channeled through narrow local magnetic structures covering a small fraction of the solar surface. Polar coronal hole observing campaigns have identified an outflow process with the discovery of transient Fe XII jets. Coronal mass ejection observing campaigns have identified the beginning of a CME in an Fe XII sequence with a near simultaneous filament eruption (seen in absorption), formation of a coronal void and the initiation of a bright outward-moving shell as well as the coronal manifestation of a 'Moreton wave'.

Studies of the onset of Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) rely on solar disk observations where CME structures are difficult to disentangle because of the diversity and transient character of the phenomena involved. Dimmings and coronal waves are among the best evidence of the large-scale reorganization of coronal magnetic fields associated with the onset of CMEs. The physical mechanism behind EIT waves is still unclear: they are considered as MHD waves and/or as a consequence of plasma compression on the extending border of a dimming. In this paper, we address the problem of automatically detecting and analyzing EIT waves and dimmings in EUV images. This paper presents a "proof of principle" that automated detection of EIT wave and dimmings is indeed possible. At the current stage of work, the method can unambiguously detect dimmings and EIT waves when applied on a typical test-case event. Moreover, we propose a way to extract these events from the data, and determine such parameters as life time, depth, area and volume of dimmings for future catalogs. For EIT waves we unambiguously define, in near solar minimum conditions, the eruption center, the front of EIT wave and its propagation velocity. In addition, we show that the presented methods yield new insights about the geometrical shape of dimmings and the connection with the EIT wave front properties, and the apparent angular rotation of the EIT wave under study.

Abstract. On 11 July 2001 an EIT shutterless campaign was conducted which provided 120 high-cadence (68 s) 304 Å images of the north eastern quarter of the Sun. The most interesting feature seen in the data is an off-limb half loop structure along which systematic intensity variations are seen which appear to propagate from the top of the loop towards its footpoint. We investigate the underlying cause of these propagating disturbances, i.e. whether they are caused by waves or by plasma flows. First we identify 7 blobs with the highest intensities and follow them along the loop. By means of a location-time plot, bulk velocities can be measured at several locations along the loop. The velocity curve found this way is then compared with characteristic wave speeds and with the free-fall speed in order to deduce the nature of the intensity variations. Additional information on density and temperature is derived by measuring the relative intensity enhancements and comparing the EIT 304 Å sequence with Big Bear data and 171 Å data (TRACE/EIT). The combination of all these constraints gives us an insight on the nature and origin of these intensity variations. The idea of slow magneto-acoustic waves is rejected, and we find several arguments supporting that these intensity variations are due to flowing/falling plasma blobs.

Context. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) is part of the remote sensing instrument package of the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission that will explore the inner heliosphere and observe the Sun from vantage points close to the Sun and out of the ecliptic. Solar Orbiter will advance the “connection science” between solar activity and the heliosphere. Aims. With EUI we aim to improve our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, globally as well as at high resolution, and from high solar latitude perspectives. Methods. The EUI consists of three telescopes, the Full Sun Imager and two High Resolution Imagers, which are optimised to image in Lyman-α and EUV (17.4 nm, 30.4 nm) to provide a coverage from chromosphere up to corona. The EUI is designed to cope with the strong constraints imposed by the Solar Orbiter mission characteristics. Limited telemetry availability is compensated by state-of-the-art image compression, onboard image processing, and event selection. The imposed power limitations and potentially harsh radiation environment necessitate the use of novel CMOS sensors. As the unobstructed field of view of the telescopes needs to protrude through the spacecraft’s heat shield, the apertures have been kept as small as possible, without compromising optical performance. This led to a systematic effort to optimise the throughput of every optical element and the reduction of noise levels in the sensor. Results. In this paper we review the design of the two elements of the EUI instrument: the Optical Bench System and the Common Electronic Box. Particular attention is also given to the onboard software, the intended operations, the ground software, and the foreseen data products. Conclusions. The EUI will bring unique science opportunities thanks to its specific design, its viewpoint, and to the planned synergies with the other Solar Orbiter instruments. In particular, we highlight science opportunities brought by the out-of-ecliptic vantage point of the solar poles, the high-resolution imaging of the high chromosphere and corona, and the connection to the outer corona as observed by coronagraphs.

The data from SECCHI-COR1 and SECCHI-COR2 coronagraphs onboard the STEREO mission, which was launched in October 2006, provide us with the first-ever stereoscopic images of the Sun's corona. These observations were found to be useful in inferring the three-dimensional structure of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their propagation direction in space. We apply four methods for reconstructing CMEs: i) Forward modeling technique; ii) Local correlation tracking (to identify the same feature in COR Ahead and COR Behind images) plus tie-point reconstruction technique; iii) Center of mass of the structures in a given epipolar plane plus tie-point reconstruction technique; iv) Polarization ratio technique. The four techniques are applied to three structured CMEs observed by COR1 and COR2 instruments, respectively, on 15