Image of the Day….First Notable Solar Fire of 2015 …

 First Notable Solar Flare of 2015

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 11:24 p.m. EST on Jan. 12, 2015. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image 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.

Image Credit: NASA/SDO 

SOURCE:::: http://www.nasa.gov

Jan 15 2015

Image of the Day…” Holiday Lights On the Sun …” !!!

Holiday Lights on the Sun: Imagery of a Solar Flare

The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 7:28 p.m. EST on Dec. 19, 2014. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image 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. This flare is classified as an X1.8-class flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.

> Video: Holiday Lights on the Sun

Image Credit: NASA/SDO 

SOURCE:::: http://www.nasa.gov

Natarajan