Home > Cosmic Craziness > Massive Solar Flare Delivers Earth A Glancing Blow

Massive Solar Flare Delivers Earth A Glancing Blow

09/05/2012 Leave a comment Go to comments

Reuters: “The flare had been observed hovering inside the Sun’s atmosphere before it exploded on August 31st, sending a filament more than half a million miles into space at a speed of 900 miles per second. NASA says the charged particles ejected by the flare did not travel directly towards Earth, but did deliver Earth’s magnetosphere a glancing blow, producing aurora but no damage. Images of the flare were captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the Sun. With four telescopes recording in different wavelengths, it transmits highly detailed images of the sun every ten seconds, seven days a week. This latest ejection is part of an 11-year cycle of activity which is expected to peak next year.” (Transcript)

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