Earlier this week, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured a stunning image of a mid-level solar flare, an intense burst of radiation resulting from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots on our solar system’s central star, the agency has revealed.
The largest explosive events in our little corner of the cosmos, solar flares are typically seen as bright areas on the sun that can last from a few minutes to several hours in duration. Here on the Earth, we typically view them by the light they release at most wavelengths of the spectrum.
In the case of this latest solar flare, which peaked at 8:29 pm EDT on April 17, 2016, the SDO was monitoring the sun when it detected a bright flash and captured the action as a loop of solar material was ejected from the right limb of the sun. The flare was classified as a mid-level solar flare, and NASA officials reported that “moderate radio blackouts were observed.”
Specifically, it was categorized as an M6.7 class flare, which means that it is about one-tenth the size of the most intense solar flares, the X-class ones, according to NASA. It originated from part of the sun known as an active region, an area of complex magnetic activity on the sun.
Hurry and you might see the sunspot!
Officially known as Active Region 2529, this area had sported a sunspot for several days prior to the eruption of the flare, the agency said. This dark-hued spot had changed size and shape several times as it slowly traveled across the face of the sun over a period of about 10 days, during which time stargazers on Earth were able to see it without needing to use telescopes.
Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard
As of Monday, the sunspot was large enough that it could contain nearly five Earth-sized planets, according to NASA. It has been slowly rotating out of view and will likely disappear beyond the right side of the sun by the end of the day on Wednesday, meaning that anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunspot before it vanishes should hurry (and hope that it isn’t already too late!)
Mashable also reported that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Colorado observed a burst of hot plasma, better known as a coronal mass ejection, associated with Sunday’s solar flare, but explained to the website that it should cause blackouts or otherwise adversely affect our day-to-day lives here on Earth.
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Image credit: NASA
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