Image of the Day: 28/9/14

(Photo Credit: NASA/SDO)

This twisted blob of solar material – a hot, charged gas known as plasma – was captured erupting off the side of the Sun by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory earlier this week.

X-class flare erupts from the Sun and heads straight for Earth

 (The X1.6 class solar flare is pictured erupting in the middle of the sun – Photo Credit: NASA/SDO)

Another extreme solar storm is set to strike after an active sunspot five-times the diameter of Earth erupted with both an X 1.6 flare and a smaller coronal mass ejection. The explosive X 1.6 flare lasted longer than usual and sent out a significant burst of radiation into space, creating a geomagnetic storm that could affect radio communications and power systems in the next couple of days.

Image of the Day: 4/9/14

(The left image from ESA/NASA’s SOHO was captured from Earth’s perspective while the right image from NASA’s STEREO was captured from the far side of the sun – Photo Credit: ESA/NASA/SOHO/STEREO)

NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory witnessed a dramatic solar eruption on August 24th, despite one of its “eyes” being partially closed. 

Solar observatories capture coronal mass ejection in incredible detail

(The bright solar flare can be seen on the left side of the sun in this image – Photo Credit: NASA/SDO)

On August 24th, the sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, otherwise known as a coronal mass ejection, that was captured on camera by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory.

NASA’s SDO captures three large solar flares

(The X2.2 solar flare – Photo Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard/Wiessinger)

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which observes the entire sun 24 hours a day, has captured photographs of three powerful solar flares.

Massive solar eruption captured on video

(Photo Credit: NASA/LMSAL/IRIS/SDO/Goddard)

On 9 May 2014, NASA’s newest solar observatory, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), was located in a prime position to document the extraordinary detail of a coronal mass ejection (CME) which burst out from the surface of the sun.