An incredibly powerful X4.9-class solar flare erupted from the Sun on February 24, 2014, peaking right around 7:49 pm EST, according to NASA. The Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a number of images and some footage of the event. The solar flare is by far the strongest seen yet this year, and one of the strongest
Another powerful X-class solar flare just erupted from the Sun — the third within only 24 hours. the solar flare registered as a X3.2, making it the most powerful solar flare of the year. This third flare peaked in intensity at about 9:11 pm EDT on May 13, 2013. The previous two flares, an X1.7
The two strongest solar flares of the year just erupted from the Sun — an X1.7 and an X2.8 — the first X-class solar flares of the year. A coronal mass ejection (CME) also erupted from the Sun at the same time, though it is not Earth-directed. The CME was traveling at about 1,200 miles
The biggest solar flare of the year just erupted from the Sun on Thursday, April 11, right at 3:16 AM EDT (0716 GMT). The powerful solar eruption was also accompanied by a large coronal mass ejection (CME), and caused a temporary radio blackout on the Earth, according to NASA officials. The solar flare registered as
Solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and other solar activity, will likely pick back up sometime later this year, before 2013 is over, according to researchers at NASA. The sun has been somewhat quiet lately, even though 2013 is expected to be the year of peak solar activity for Solar Cycle 24. The reason for
A sun-grazing comet and a solar eruption have been caught on film together by NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft. The video shows comet Pan-STARRS and a massive coronal mass ejection (CME), caused by a recent solar flare, together in a striking new video. Comet Pan-STARRS is visible in the film as it’s moving through the inner
A large solar flare erupted from the Sun on March 5th, accompanied by a large CME. As a result NASA decided to temporarily power down their Mars rover Curiosity, in order to help protect it from the blast. Curiosity has already been dealing with a computer glitch and subsequent switch to a backup over the
Enormous loops of super-hot plasma, much bigger than the Earth, are seen raining down onto the surface of the Sun in a spectacular new video just released by NASA. The plasma rain was caught on film by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) last year when a mid-strength solar flare was released from the Sun on
An enormous sunspot, six times larger than the Earth is currently forming on the Sun. NASA researchers predict that the sunspot could begin triggering powerful solar flares in a couple of days. The enormous sunspot has been monitored by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory over the last 48 hours as it has developed. SDO is permanently
Activity on the sun has been continuing in the past few days since a large coronal mass ejection, or CME, erupted from the Sun on November 23, 2012, at 8:54 a.m. EST. Further solar eruptions are a possibility in the near term. The image above was taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), capturing
A powerful X-Class solar flare exploded from the Sun on Monday, October 22, 2012. It released large amounts of radiation, some of which has already caused a minor radio blackout here on Earth. The solar flare was released from the sunspot AR 11598, and hit its peak brightness at 11:22 p.m. EDT (0322 GMT
The strongest solar flare of the summer, an X1.4-class flare, just erupted on July 12th. It was the second X-class solar flare in just one week. It peaked at 12:52 p.m. EDT (1652 GMT) on the 12th. The massive X-class flare included a powerful coronal mass ejection. The CME, a mass of charged solar plasma
The strongest solar flare of the summer, so far, erupted from the sun on Friday, July 6. It’s the latest in a run of powerful solar storms this week. The solar storm happened just after 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) and was observed to be a class X1.1 solar flare. X-class flares are the strongest
An active sunspot-filled region on the sun, AR 1504, rotated into our view on June 10, 2012. So far, the sunspot region fired off two M-class flares, and two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on June 13th and 14th. The final flare lasted a long time for a CME, nearly 3 hours. It peaked around
[UPDATE: March 10, 2012; see below] Late yesterday morning, two massive X-class solare flares erupted form our sun’s surface. These are amongst the most powerful class of ‘solar storm’. One of these flares ranked an X 5.4 which makes it the most powerful flare so far this year, and one of the most powerful in
There’s a bit of hysteria about the whole end-of-the world in December 2012 thing. I’ve got some comments on it–researched it a bit several years ago–but will leave that for another day. For today, here’s a response from NASA on the concern that there will be earth-destroying solar flares or solar storms (to put
[updated content; Solar Flare, see below] At three times the diameter of the Earth — 25, 000 miles/40,000 km wide and 50,000miles / 80,000 km long — the newest sunspot to make its appearance on our sun’s surface is the largest seen in years, according to NASA experts. The sunspot is part of Active Region
Active Region (AR) 1302 is slowly coming into position where it directly faces the Earth. The region contains a “behemoth” sunspot — several times larger than the Earth — named sunspot 1302.
The sunspot has already been the source of two ‘X-class’ solar flares (‘X’ signifying the most extreme known); the first, measuring an X1.4, on September 22, and the second, an X1.9, coming just three days later on Sept. 24. Are more X-class flares on the way, and on their way towards Earth?
Our Sun is experiencing the most prolonged period of minimal sunspot activity in nearly a century. The puzzling absence of these spots, whose build-up commonly signals the occurrence of large solar storms and flares, has space scientists and solar physicists searching for explanations.
ESA
