Modern observations of solar prominences

The authors reviews observational studies of solar prominences with some reference to theoretical understandings. The authors lay emphasis on the following findings: An important discovery was made by previous investigators concerning the direction of the magnetic field inside some high-altitude, high-latitude prominences, where the field vector points in the opposite direction from one which would be expected from the potential field calculated from the observed photospheric magnetic field; Landman suggests the possibility of a high total density of ≅ 10/sup -11/ g cm/sup -3/ for the main body of quiescent prominences, ≅ 50 times higher than the value hitherto believed; flow patterns, nearly parallel to the magnetic neutral lines, were detected in the 10/sup 5/ K plasma near and in prominences, and Coronal loop structures were found overlying prominences as viewed from X-ray photographs. The authors propose also an evolutionary scheme by taking the magnetic field topologies into account