What does a solar flare actually look like?
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Credit: Getty Images
A four way combination photo showing a major solar flare as it erupted from a complex sunspot group crossing the sun's southern hemisphere August 28, 1999. The x-ray flux from the explosion registered more than 10-4 Watts per square meter on the GOES 8 satellite, placing the flare in the most powerful "X" category. These images captured by SOHO's LASCO C2 coronagraph show the coronal mass ejection that accompanied Saturday's solar flare The CME was not ejected directly toward Earth and experts predict that most of the mass will pass south of Earth's orbital plane. However, there is a chance that the outer edges of the disturbance will collide with our planet's magnetosphere around 12 UTC on August 31. There is no danger to satellites, power grids, or people, but there could be isolated episodes of intense auroral activity for 24 to 72 hours. (courtesy of NASA)
