Hot Prominence Shrouds (Invited)

The reduced white light emission often observed at the base of streamers in coronagraphic or total solar eclipse images is commonly referred to as a prominence cavity. Using multiwavelength eclipse observations, we show that these cavities are invariably associated with very hot material, often exceeding 2 million degrees. These empirical results provide observational evidence for the early model studies of prominence environments, which predicted the existence of these hot envelopes. Their implications for the plasma properties of coronal mass ejections associated with prominence eruptions will also be discussed.