A
mid-level flare, an M6.5, erupted from sun on April 2, 2014, peaking at
10:05 a.m. EDT. This image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows
the flare in a blend of two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light:
131 Angstroms and 171 Angstroms, colorized in yellow and red,
respectively. Image Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard Space Flight Center
On
April 2, 2014, the sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at
10:05 a.m. EDT, and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured imagery
of the event. 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 impact Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.
This flare is classified as an M6.5 flare. M-class flares are ten times less powerful than the most intense flares, which are labeled X-class. The number after the M 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.
To see how this event may impact Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.
This flare is classified as an M6.5 flare. M-class flares are ten times less powerful than the most intense flares, which are labeled X-class. The number after the M 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.
