Solar flare

Gif: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

Mystery Cosmic Storms Left Their Mark in Tree Rings, Scientists Say

Six spikes in Earth’s radiation levels, recorded in tree rings, may represent an unknown extreme astrophysical event.

Earth Science Isaac Schultz Oct 26

Intensifying Solar Storms a Mounting Headache for Unprepared Satellite Operators

Experts say the increasing frequency of solar storms—the result of the Sun's 11-year cycle—is catching smallsat firms off guard.

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky Aug 12

Image: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/EUI Team

Solar Orbiter Captures Dazzling Images of the Sun’s Chaotic Activity

Here's what Solar Orbiter saw during its recent close approach of the Sun.

Space & Spaceflight Kevin Hurler May 19

Photo: NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

Large Eruption From Nearby Star Is a Warning for Earth

A Sun-like star just sent out a flare 10 times larger than any previously observed.

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz Dec 9

When Will There Be a New Solar Superstorm?

"It’s always a matter of hot debate in the research world."

Tech News Daniel Kolitz Sep 6

Sun Gets Ahead of Itself, Shoots Off Huge Solar Flare on July 3rd

The X-class flare was an intense one, but it won’t meddle with anything on Earth.

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz Jul 7

Gif: ESA & NASA/Solar Orbiter/SoloHI team/NRL

Sun-Orbiting Spacecraft Takes Fascinating Images of a Coronal Mass Ejection

Coronal mass ejections are regular space weather events involving huge, fast-moving expulsions of plasma from the Sun’s surface. They’re routinely observed by a bevy of telescopes, and recently, Solar Orbiter has imaged its first stellar burps. Solar Orbiter is a collaborative mission between the European Space Agency and NASA. It launched in February 2020 and…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz May 17

Scientists May Know What’s Causing ‘Campfires’ on the Sun

Crackling away on a cosmic scale, small flares in the solar corona have been a matter of intrigue for researchers, as they are the brightest spots in a solar atmosphere boasting extraordinarily hot temperatures. Now, scientists propose that the little fires everywhere are caused by the convergence of magnetic fields miles above the Sun’s surface.…

Space & Spaceflight Isaac Schultz Apr 28

A Powerful Solar Storm Likely Detonated Dozens of U.S. Sea Mines During the Vietnam War

Scientists say the finding should be a call-to-action to secure our technology against solar flares.

Tech News George Dvorsky Nov 8

An Electric Look at a Solar Flare on the Sun

It always makes for a beautiful video whenever the suns lashes out with a solar flare. Here’s one from earlier this month, you can see how electric its movement are, it just whips up and explodes. The footage was captured in different wavelengths and then color coded so we can see what’s happening in better…

Sploid Casey Chan Apr 26

A Nightmarish Timeline of What Would Happen to the Earth After a Massive Solar Flare

At first, things could actually be rather beautiful: worldwide auroras! A brighter sun! But then things would rapidly get ugly, with the breakdown of communications, rolling power outages, and a burning away of the ozone. We see solar flares all the time on our sun. There’s nothing unusual about them, or the lovely auroras that…

Space & Spaceflight Ria Misra Mar 25

What Would Happen If a Massive Solar Storm Hit Earth?

A severe solar storm hasn’t hit Earth since the mid-19th century, but space weather scientists are very worried about the next one.

Space & Spaceflight Maddie Stone Aug 20

The Sun Emitted a Lovely, Mid-Level Solar Flare Today

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of a mid-level solar flare that pealed at 4:16 EDT this morning. It comes from the sunspot group that’s been flaring up since it was spotted. Today’s flare was classified as an M7.9, M-classes being one tenth the size of X-class flares, the most intense. Luckily, (or unluckily,…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta Jun 26

This Solar Flare Image Is Beautiful In Its Simplicity

A solar flare peaked at 7:28 p.m. EST on December 19, and the NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught this image of it. It was classified as X1.8-class. X-classes are the most intense flares, with an X-2 being twice as strong as an X-1. Image: NASA/SDO

io9 Katharine Trendacosta Dec 24

Stare Into The Raging Heart Of The Biggest Sunspot In 24 Years

The sun is spoiling us for superlatives. Last night, giant sunspot AR 2192 – the largest sunspot astronomers have observed in nearly 25 years – erupted in an X3.1-class solar flare, the most powerful of four flares to burst from the region since October 19th. The shot you see above was captured by Sergio Castillo…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Oct 25

A Viscous Arm of Plasma Punches Its Way Out of the Sun

Last week, a solar flare flashed on the surface of the sun, just as our star erupted with a massive amount of burning ejecta. The twin explosions, captured by a NASA satellite called the Solar Dynamics Observatory, make for a gorgeous and violent portrait of our sun. NASA explains: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this…

io9 Annalee Newitz Oct 6

An X-Class Flare Unleashed Right At Earth

The sun fired off an X-class solar flare, the most powerful classification, this afternoon, from an Earth-facing sunspot called Active Region 2158. The flare was powerful enough to cause a sustained blackout of high-frequency radio communication here on Earth. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spied the flare this afternoon, beginning at 1721 and peaking at 1745…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 10

Solar Disaster Movie Cat. 8 Makes The Core Look Like 2001

Last week, NASA announced that in 2012 the Earth narrowly avoided being hit by the largest solar coronal mass ejection recorded since before electric power grids and telecommunication satellites were a thing. Fortunately or unfortunately, along with the rest of civilization, the solar crisis duology Cat. 8 (available on DVD and Netflix streaming) was also…

io9 Jason Shankel Aug 5

Visions of an Erupting Sun

A Solar Dynamics Observatory video of the recent flare is a deceptively-tranquil vision of colossal energy eruption. A massive X1.4 flare is part of the highest intensity of flares releasing huge amounts of energy, yet the filaments are weirdly soothing. X1.4 flare in 131, 304, and 171 angstrom wavelengths. Image Credit: NASA/SDO/Goddard Space Flight Center…

Tech News Mika McKinnon May 8

A Solar Flare in Unprecedented Detail

On March 29th, the sun released an X-class flare. It was caught by five high-quality solar observatories on the ground and in space, creating the most detailed observations of an intense flare in history. This beautiful, rich data will help researchers better understand what triggers flares. Composite of data sources capturing the flare: SDO [bottom/left],…

Tech News Mika McKinnon May 7

Mystery Cosmic Storms Left Their Mark in Tree Rings, Scientists Say

Intensifying Solar Storms a Mounting Headache for Unprepared Satellite Operators

Solar Orbiter Captures Dazzling Images of the Sun’s Chaotic Activity

Large Eruption From Nearby Star Is a Warning for Earth

When Will There Be a New Solar Superstorm?

Sun Gets Ahead of Itself, Shoots Off Huge Solar Flare on July 3rd

Sun-Orbiting Spacecraft Takes Fascinating Images of a Coronal Mass Ejection

Scientists May Know What’s Causing ‘Campfires’ on the Sun

A Powerful Solar Storm Likely Detonated Dozens of U.S. Sea Mines During the Vietnam War

An Electric Look at a Solar Flare on the Sun

A Nightmarish Timeline of What Would Happen to the Earth After a Massive Solar Flare

What Would Happen If a Massive Solar Storm Hit Earth?

The Sun Emitted a Lovely, Mid-Level Solar Flare Today

This Solar Flare Image Is Beautiful In Its Simplicity

Stare Into The Raging Heart Of The Biggest Sunspot In 24 Years

A Viscous Arm of Plasma Punches Its Way Out of the Sun

An X-Class Flare Unleashed Right At Earth

Solar Disaster Movie Cat. 8 Makes The Core Look Like 2001

Visions of an Erupting Sun

A Solar Flare in Unprecedented Detail

Rise and Shine and Grab the Breakfast Drugs: the ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Trailer Is Here

Delta Becomes Third Airline to Hike Bag Fees as the Iran War Makes Jet Fuel More Expensive

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Touchscreen Laptop Is Now Cheaper Than an Entry-Level iPad at Best Buy

Polaroid’s New Hi-Print for Phone Photos Doubles as a Freestanding Frame

Researchers Turned Acid From Car Batteries Into Something Surprisingly Useful

‘Starfleet Academy’ Star Karim Diané Is Heading to IDW’s ‘Star Trek’ Pride Comic (Exclusive)

Artemis 2 Day 7: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

A Cure for Knee Arthritis? It May Be Closer Than You Think

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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