The April 8, 2005, Eclipse White-Light Corona

Abstract

The hybrid solar eclipse of April 8, 2005, provided a good opportunity to observe the white-light solar corona, even though the eclipse lasted just 30 seconds and could be seen only from ships in the Pacific Ocean. During the eclipse, we detected a unique `cloud' of particles in the white-light corona above the west limb ≈260°-270°. We compare this feature with EUV images from SOHO. The feature's density and temperature seem comparable to a coronal condensation, and, like a coronal condensation, it is connected to the emergence of material from the solar surface without a flare. However, the morphology of the feature shows clear differences from a classical coronal condensation.