The Sun unleashed an X2.7 flare at its left edge on May 5, 2015. The flare is shown in a combination of two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light.
The Sun unleashed an X2.7 flare (largest class) at its left edge on May 5, 2015. The flare is shown in a combination of two wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light. Flares are intense, though brief, solar storms. This flare was also accompanied by a coronal mass ejection that blasted a mass of plasma into space. Both are triggered by disruptions of areas of intense magnetic fields. The video covers about 75 minutes of activity. Credit: NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory