Multi-wavelength observations of the 1998 September 27 flare spray

We report on observations of a large eruptive event associated with a flare that occurred on 27 September 1998 made with the Richard B. Dunn Solar Tel escope at Sacramento Peak Observatory (several wave bands including off-lin e-center H alpha), in soft and hard X-rays (GOES and BATSE), and in several TRACE wave bands (including Fe ix/x 171 Angstrom, Fe XII 195 Angstrom, and C IV 1550 Angstrom). The flare initiation is signaled by two H alpha foot- point brightenings which are closely followed by a hard X-ray burst and a s ubsequent gradual increase in other wavelengths. The flare light curves sho w a complicated, three-component structure which includes two minor maxima before the main GOES class C5.2 peak after which there is a characteristic exponential decline. During the initial stages, a large spray event is obse rved within seconds of the hard X-ray burst which can be directly associate d with a two-ribbon flare in H alpha. The emission returns to pre-flare lev els after about 35 min, by which time a set of bright post-flare loops have begun to form at temperatures of about 1.0-1.5 MK. Part of the flare plasm a also intrudes into the penumbra of a large sunspot, generally a character istic of very powerful flares, but the flare importance in GOES soft X-rays is in fact relatively modest. Much of the energy appears to be in the form of a second ejection which is observed in optical and ultraviolet bands, t raveling out via several magnetic flux tubes from the main flare site (abou t 60 degrees from Sun center) to beyond the limb.