A possible acceleration mechanism by the magnetic force is suggested for a plasmoid, modeled as a spherical body with a magnetic dipole situated in its center of mass. The governing equations of the motion of a dipole in an inhomogeneous magnetic field are solved analytically and numerically. Both methods show the possibility for the plasmoid to be accelerated in the direction of the external field gradient.

SOHO and YOHKOH images, as well as Hα filtergrams and magnetograms from IZMIRAN have been used to analyze the evolution of the related solar phenomena – filament, active region, and accompanying pair of coronal holes – during six solar rotations, with an emphasis on the events observed during August–September, 1996. The whole complex has been considered against the large–scale magnetic fields calculated under the potential approximation. A peculiar point has been found along the changing filament. It is shown that the phenomena under investigation (filament, active region, and coronal hole) form a single complex connected with the magnetic field structure.

Hα spectra obtained at Sternberg Astronomical Institute in Moscow during the gradual phase of the flare on May 16, 1981 are analysed. The flare-ribbon profiles show a red asymmetry of the emission peaks, and we interpret this as an absorption in the blue wing of the profile due to expected upflows. We demonstrate a good correlation between the observed Hα profiles and those computed with the flare model Fl and upflows reaching 10 km s−1.

An umbral flare in NOAA 6223 was observed at Huairou Solar Observing Station of Beijing Astronomical Observatory. Vigorous filament activity took place in association with this umbral flare. Several filaments formed and/or disappeared, leaving the magnetic neutral lines pointing to or rooted in the P spot in which the umbral flare occurred. We describe the observed configuration and evolution of the vector magnetic fields in the photosphere, and Doppler velocity patterns in the chromosphere during the course of the umbral flare and related filament activity.

Filaments are a global phenomenon and their formation, structure and dynamics are determined by magnetic fields. So they are an important signature of the solar magnetism. The central mechanism in traditional mean-field dynamo theory is the alpha effect and it is a major result of this theory that the presence of kinetic or magnetic helicities is at least favourable for the effect. Recent studies of the magnetohydrodynamic equations by means of numerical bifurcation-analysis techniques have confirmed the decisive role of helicity for a dynamo effect. The alpha effect corresponds to the simultaneous generation of magnetic helicities in the mean field and in the fluctuations, the generation rates being equal in magnitude and opposite in sign. In the case of statistically stationary and homogeneous fluctuations, in particular, the alpha effect can increase the energy in the mean magnetic field only under the condition that also magnetic helicity is accumulated there. Generally, the two helicities generated by the alpha effect, that in the mean field and that in the fluctuations, have either to be dissipated in the generation region or to be transported out of this region. The latter may lead to the appearance of helicity in the atmosphere, in particular in filaments, and thus provide valuable information on dynamo processes inaccessible to in situ measurements.

The main magnetic activity of the Sun can be visualised by Maunder butterfly diagrams which represent the spatio-temporal distribution of sunspots. Besides sunspots there are other tracers of magnetic activity, like filaments and active regions, which are observable over a wider latitudinal range of the Sun. Both these phenomena allow one to consider a complete picture of solar magnetic activity, which should be explained in the framework of one relatively simple model.

A kinematic αѡ-dynamo model of the magnetic field’s generation in a thin convection shell with nonuniform helicity for large dynamo numbers is considered in the framework of Parker’s migratory dynamo. The obtained asymptotic solution of equations governing the magnetic field has a form of a modulated travelling dynamo wave. This wave propagates over the most latitudes of the solar hemisphere equatorwards, and the amplitude of the magnetic field first increases and then decreases with the propagation. Over the subpolar latitudes the dynamo wave reverses, there the dynamo wave propagates polewards and decays with latitude. Butterfly diagrams are plotted and analyzed.

There is an attractive opportunity to develop a more quantitatively precise model taking into account helioseismological data on differential rotation and fitting the solar observational data on the magnetic field and turbulence, analyzing the helicity and the phase shift between toroidal and poloidal components of the field.

Solar features that exhibit chirality are: fibril patterns in filament channels, filaments, coronal arcades over filaments, superpenumbral fibrils exterior to sunspots, whole active regions observed with magnetographs, some large-scale X-ray structures, and interplanetary magnetic plasma clouds originating from coronal mass ejections. Their signatures of chirality are briefly reviewed; some details are mentioned to further show relationships which link all of the chirality patterns into a single framework. The helicity of solar magnetic fields is the evident physical phenomena which finks each of the seven features to each other and into a broader framework. The chirality system, viewed as a whole magnetic system, reveals: (1) a consistent rotational configuration of the dominant direction of the magnetic field with height of features within and over filament channels from the photosphere to the highest part of the solar corona, and (2) the prominence cavity as a unique space between magnetic fields of opposite helicity.

The one-to-one relationship between the chirality of filament channels and the skew (relative orientation) of the overlying coronal arcades can be coupled with the predictions for the axial component of polar crown filaments based on past magnetic field observations to predict the skew of polar crown arcades in the recent cycle 22. We have surveyed the actual skew as seen in the Yohkoh SXT images over the declining phase of cycle 22 and found a result opposite to that expected. The SXT arcades have been compared with numerical models to show that while some of this result can be explained by flux distribution around switchbacks, other mechanisms such as differential rotation are also needed.

The magnetic field vectors derived from the Hanle effect measured in prominences during the ascending phase and maximum of Cycle 21 have been plotted on the corresponding synoptic maps of Meudon Observatory (e.g., Figure 2). Most of these measurements have been performed in a single line, He I D3. Our previous analysis of 2-line measurements have already proven that prominence magnetic fields have Inverse polarity (Bommier et al. 1994) and remain close to the horizontal plane (Bommier et al. 1986, 1994). We also found earlier that the field component along the filament axis shows a remarkable large scale pattern, especially at high latitudes (Leroy et al. 1983). Given the geometry of horizontal Inverse field, we reinvestigate this large scale organization through our complete set of observations (296 prominences). These new maps fully confirm and extend to medium latitudes the law of reversal of the axial field from one prominence band to the adjacent ones (see Figure 2). This behavior, together with the Inverse polarity pattern, gives a picture consistent with a North-South global field distorted by the differential rotation (see Figure 3).

A reanalysis of the prominence magnetic field measurements obtained by Leroy et al. (1983) indicates that only a small fraction of these prominences did not obey the chirality rules they discovered and that Martin et al. (1994) confirmed.

The zonal distribution of prominences, their poleward migration from the sunspot zone to the poles, the polar magnetic field reversals and a correlation of the mean latitude of filament bands at minimum activity with the maximum of Wolf number in the next cycle are briefly discussed for the period 1880–1995. The need for research on the longterm latitude distribution of the prominences is emphasized. New results concerning long-term variations of the torsional oscillations of the Sun and quasi-periodic oscillations of the latitude zonal boundaries from an analysis of Hα charts (1915–1990) are given.

Connections between the morphology of filaments and the global topology of the sun’s magnetic field, are an important topic that seems ready for assembly into a coherent picture. We suggest that the chirality of mid-and high-latitude filaments described by Martin et al. is most easily understood if they form in evolved “Type 1” neutral lines within active region bipoles, rather than in the “Type 2” neutral lines formed at the boundaries between bipoles, where lower-latitude filaments tend to form. This interpretation removes the disagreement between filament chirality and the well-known tilt of bipolar active regions described by Joy’s law, which exists if the high-latitude filaments formed at Type 2 neutral lines. Dynamical explanation of these two observed regularities probably implies quantitative understanding of the processes that govern the sign and magnitude of the α and ѡ-effects in a solar dynamo.

We propose the following coherent model for prominences.

1. (i) They are composed of many fine threads whose mass we suggest has two kinds of origin. Some of the mass may be lifted from the upper photosphere in response to cancellation of magnetic flux in small flux tubes. If this rate of mass supply is slow then the mass needs to be supported, but if the mass supply rate is as large as the natural rate of draining then no support is necessary. However, much of the mass may not need to be supplied or supported at all, if it comprises dynamic threads of cool plasma that are in pressure balance with their hot surroundings and are continually forming from the corona and heating up again in response to a localised heating mechanism.

2. (ii) The overall structure is of a large-scale flux tube along the polarity inversion line with an overlying arcade that links the network on either side of the filament channel. The structure of the channel and of barbs is explained by the distribution of flux sources along the channels, with majority polarity producing plagettes and minority polarity the barbs.

3. (iii) The chirality of polar-crown prominences is suggested to be caused by a combination of subsurface flows, flux emergence and reconnection. By contrast, two generic types of low-latitude filament, namely those associated with unipolar flux tongues and with the emergence of new active regions near to remnant regions, are a natural consequence of nonuniform flux distribution and converging flux.

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are an important aspect of coronal and interplanetary dynamics. They cause large geomagnetic storms and can drive transient interplanetary shocks, which in turn are a key source of energetic particle events. However, our knowledge of the origins and early development of CMEs at the Sun is limited. CMEs are most frequently associated with erupting prominences and long-enduring soft X-ray arcades, but sometimes with no observed surface activity. I review some of the well determined coronal properties of CMEs and what we know about their source regions, with emphasis on the characteristics of the associated prominences and helmet streamers. One of these characteristics is that many CMEs seem to arise from multipolar magnetic structures with multiple or kinked inversion lines. I also discuss the solar-cycle dependencies of these structures, including the role that erupting prominences and CMEs may play in the ejection of magnetic flux and helicity from the Sun.

Solar activity in the latter half of 1996 was dominated by the presence of an extended filament channel in the southern hemisphere, forming a switchback configuration where it merged with the polar crown. Several large coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed to originate on or near this magnetic neutral line by the LASCO and EIT instruments on SOHO. As this channel gradually disappeared, a new, extended channel formed to the west of the old one, and this new channel also produced a number of large CMEs. We report here on observations of two events (December 23, 1996 and February 7,1997), and discuss the global nature of these events.

From a statistical comparison of high-latitude coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and disappearing solar filaments (DSFs), we find: (1) Beginning with the “rush to the poles”, DSFs arise at an increasing rate from the “emerging” or polar crown relative to the “true” polar crown. At maximum, these “opposite polarity” filaments are the dominant source of high-latitude DSFs. Following polarity reversal, the emergent polar crown becomes the true polar crown and the source of virtually all highlatitude DSFs. (2) At the last two solar maxima, we estimate that there were ~ 4 times as many high-latitude (≥ 60°) CMEs as high-latitude (≥ 45°) DSFs. Possible reasons for this discrepancy include the following: (a) DSFs, particularly small ones, are under-reported, (b) propagation effects, whereby radially propagating CMEs appear at higher latitudes than their underlying source regions, are more important than currently thought, or (c) some combination of these effects.

We present a distribution of prominences over the solar cycle activity. There are found both polar and equatorial branches of prominences that migrate in opposite directions. Prominences of the high-latitude crown migrate, starting in the minimum of the cycle, towards the poles, which they reach at the maximum of the cycle and then decay. The equatorward-migrating branch of prominences appears also in the minimum of the cycle at mid-latitudes and disappears at the end of the cycle. The distribution of the prominences is compared with a time-latitudinal distribution of the green corona. It is assumed that the polar branches in cycle 23 will reach the poles in 2002 (the north pole) and 2003 (the south one), respectively.

Almost 70 years ago Lucien d’Azambuja published the first “Cartes Synoptiques de la Chromosphere Solaire et Catalogue des Filaments de la Couche Superieure” (d’Azambuja 1928), a compendium of reduced solar observations covering the time period March 1919–January 1920. The compiled database gives both visual and quantitative measures of solar activity beginning with Carrington rotation 876. Since then, data through 1989 have been published in succeeding Cartes Synoptiques issues. The World Data Center A (WDC-A) for Solar-Terrestrial Physics has digitized several long term solar publications, including the numerical text portion of the Cartes Synoptiques. We present an overview of this extraordinary historical solar database. WDC-A is using current technology to meet user requirements for data management, analysis and distribution, has compiled over 100 Megabytes of historical solar data and made it available over the Internet as part of a continuing data rescue effort. The data can be accessed via the World Wide Web at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp.

A technique is used to restore the magnetic field of the Sun viewed as star from the filament distribution seen on Hα photographs. For this purpose synoptic charts of the large-scale magnetic field reconstructed by the McIntosh method have been compared with the Sun-asstar solar magnetic field observed at Stanford. We have established a close association between the Sun-as-star magnetic field and the mean magnetic field inferred from synoptic magnetic field maps. A filtering technique was applied to find correlations between the Sun-as-star and large-scale magnetic field distributions during the course of a solar cycle. The correlations found were then used to restore the Sun-as-star magnetic field and its evolution in the late 1950s and 1960s, when such measurements of the field were not being made. A stackplot display of the inferred data reveals large-scale magnetic field organization and evolution. Patterns of the Sun-as-star magnetic field during solar cycle 19 were obtained. The proposed technique can be useful for studying the solar magnetic field structure and evolution during times with no direct observations.

The data from prominence observations provide an opportunity to study spatio-temporal distribution of prominences over a solar cycle. The Slovak Central Observatory (SCO) at Hurbanovo (South Slovakia) in cooperation with the coronal station at Lomnický Štít (Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica, Slovakia) constructed a Lyot coronagraph with parameters D/f of 90/1250/3750 mm in 1996 for regular prominence patrol at Hurbanovo (112 m above sea level).

The aim of this collaboration is a joint annual publication of a catalogue of the observed prominences for each year. This paper also describes the form of the catalogue. The authors would appreciate if other observational stations would join this activity. The editor of the catalogue will be the SCO at Hurbanovo.