A NASA observatory has captured a spectacular solar flare, during a month of heightened solar activity.
A NASA observatory has captured a spectacular solar flare, marking a continuation of a month of heightened solar activity.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, says the June 25 solar 'burp' was a mid-level event, and is expected to have fewer dramatic effects than a massive solar storm that hit Earth earlier this week. That storm produced auroras which were seen around the globe.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare can't pass through Earth's atmosphere to affect humans on the ground, however - when intense enough - they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
