NASA’s SDO Captures Image of Mid-level Flare

The Sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 4:33 pm EDT on September 4, 2017. 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 M5.5 class flare. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc.

Image Credit: NASA/SDO
Explanation from: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-s-sdo-captures-image-of-mid-level-flare