NASA's SDO captures image of mid-class solar flare
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare -- as seen in the bright flash in the lower right hand side of the sun -- on Sept. 28, 2015. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extraordinarily hot material in flares and which is typically colorized in red. Credits: NASA/SDO
Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
To see how this event may affect Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.
This flare is classified as an M7.6 flare. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc.
Updates will be provided as needed.
Media Contact
All latest news from the category: Physics and Astronomy
This area deals with the fundamental laws and building blocks of nature and how they interact, the properties and the behavior of matter, and research into space and time and their structures.
innovations-report provides in-depth reports and articles on subjects such as astrophysics, laser technologies, nuclear, quantum, particle and solid-state physics, nanotechnologies, planetary research and findings (Mars, Venus) and developments related to the Hubble Telescope.
Newest articles
Thermodynamics-Inspired Laser Beam Shaping Sparks a Ray of Hope
Inspired by ideas from thermodynamics, researchers at the University of Rostock and the University of Southern California have developed a new method to efficiently shape and combine high-energy laser beams….
A Breath of Fresh Air: Advanced Quantum Calculations Enable COF-999 CO₂ Adsorption
Quantum chemical calculations at HU enable the development of new porous materials that are characterized by a high absorption capacity for CO2 Climate experts agree: To overcome the climate crisis,…
Why Global Droughts Tied to Climate Change Have Left Us Feeling Under the Weather
A study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL shows that there has been a worrying increase in the number of long droughts over…