NASA | Massive Solar Flare gets HD Close Up

Take a closer look at the flare that erupted on March 6, 2012.


This movie of the March 6, 2012 X5.4 flare was captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in the 171 and 131 Angstrom wavelength. One of the most dramatic features is the way the entire surface of the sun seems to ripple with the force of the eruption. This movement comes from something called EIT waves -- because they were first discovered with the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the Solar Heliospheric Observatory. Since SDO captures images every 12 seconds, it has been able to map the full evolution of these waves and confirm that they can travel across the full breadth of the sun. The waves move at over a million miles per hour, zipping from one side of the sun to the other in about an hour. The movie shows two distinct waves. The first seems to spread in all directions; the second is narrower, moving toward the southeast. Such waves are associated with, and perhaps trigger, fast coronal mass ejections, so it is likely that each one is connected to one of the two CMEs that erupted on March 6.


Caption: NASA/SDO




Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f...

Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC

Or find us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard

• Category

  Science & Technology

[ramey castle]

How do you dislike these kinds of videos. Is someone really on youtube pissed off at space?

[Gamegod345]

Solar flare hmmmmm ....... Ahh krillin

[fuccillo111]

when we see a star being born, that's millions or billions years ago right? so basically we are watching the past play out before us. is it possible that somewhere on a distant place someone from the future is watching our planets birth...millions of years from now? crazy right?

[dazbot11]

the bloke with the hammond needs a cone .

[Tom Rowles]

anyone know the name of the tune in the bck ground

[demetria1045]

its dead how people believe this anit no solar flare commingle

[AJobv]

No, sped up. (Apparently it took up to an hour) D:



[Disciple0fMetal]

Exactly. lol some people just cant handle reality and space I guess

[simplydonttroll]

when ever i see "close up" i always think that a scary face will pop up

[zasabiibasaz]

is this real time?

[Lynne Hall]

Love it

[koja69]

you sir have a BIG problem.