The Death of Prominences

Abstract

Whether prominences, like surges, exist for only hours, or, like quiescent filaments, live for many months, sooner or later they disappear, and we are faced with the task of explaining the physical processes that bring about their demise. The disappearing act may take any of several forms, ranging from spectacular displays of violent disruptive motions to slow dimming and disappearance in situ. In some cases the disappearance coincides with changes of the above lying corona; in other instances hardly any effect is noticed in the prominence’s environment.