Flare - Blog Posts

Ok I lied I did not draw huamei, I drew Maki!!

A magnetic power struggle of galactic proportions - new research highlights the role of the Sun’s magnetic landscape in the development of solar eruptions that can trigger space weather events around Earth.

Using data from our Solar Dynamics Observatory, scientists examined an October 2014 Jupiter-sized sunspot group, an area of complex magnetic fields, often the site of solar activity. This was the biggest group in the past two solar cycles and a highly active region. Though conditions seemed ripe for an eruption, the region never produced a major coronal mass ejection (CME) - a massive, bubble-shaped eruption of solar material and magnetic field - on its journey across the Sun. It did, however, emit a powerful X-class flare, the most intense class of flares. What determines, the scientists wondered, whether a flare is associated with a CME?

The scientists found that a magnetic cage physically prevented a CME from erupting that day. Just hours before the flare, the sunspot’s natural rotation contorted the magnetic rope and it grew increasingly twisted and unstable, like a tightly coiled rubber band.

Credits: Tahar Amari et al./Center for Theoretical Physics/École Polytechnique/NASA Goddard/Joy Ng

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The Sun Just Released the Most Powerful Flare of this Solar Cycle

The Sun released two significant solar flares on Sept. 6, including one that clocked in as the most powerful flare of the current solar cycle.

The solar cycle is the approximately 11-year-cycle during which the Sun’s activity waxes and wanes. The current solar cycle began in December 2008 and is now decreasing in intensity and heading toward solar minimum, expected in 2019-2020. Solar minimum is a phase when solar eruptions are increasingly rare, but history has shown that they can nonetheless be intense.

Footage of the Sept. 6 X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (131 angstrom wavelength)

Our Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of both X-class flares on Sept. 6.

Solar flares are classified according to their strength. X-class denotes the most intense flares, followed by M-class, while the smallest flares are labeled as A-class (near background levels) with two more levels in between. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each of the five levels of letters represents a 10-fold increase in energy output. 

The first flare peaked at 5:10 a.m. EDT, while the second, larger flare, peaked at 8:02 a.m. EDT.

Footage of the Sept. 6 X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (171 angstrom wavelength) with Earth for scale

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 Earth’s atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.

Both Sept. 6 flares erupted from an active region labeled AR 2673. This area also produced a mid-level solar flare on Sept. 4, 2017. This flare peaked at 4:33 p.m. EDT, and was about a tenth the strength of X-class flares like those measured on Sept. 6.

Footage of the Sept. 4 M5.5 solar flare captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (131 angstrom wavelength)

This active region continues to produce significant solar flares. There were two flares on the morning of Sept. 7 as well. 

For the latest updates and to see how these events may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.

Follow @NASASun on Twitter and NASA Sun Science on Facebook to keep up with all the latest in space weather research.

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Our sun is dynamic and ever-changing. On Friday, July 14, a solar flare and a coronal mass ejection erupted from the same, large active region. The coils arcing over this active region are particles spiraling along magnetic field lines.

Solar flares are explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high-speed particles into space. Such flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections. While these are the most common solar events, the sun can also emit streams of very fast protons – known as solar energetic particle (SEP) events – and disturbances in the solar wind known as corotating interaction regions (CIRs).

Learn more HERE.

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It's Easy To Blame The Weather After two days of heat, sweat, and extra-large water bottles at the sports complex, I finally laid my hands on Magnolia's Avocado Macchiato ice cream huhuhu 😭 Even though the sun was crazy the whole day, right when it was about to set, we all saw this little flare of color in the sky 🌈

I Wished someone would love me the way Newt loves Thomas and the way Thomas loves Newt :(

(Canon)

CAUSE TELL ME ABOUT Newt having a limp, having a mental illness, and getting his body slowly ripped apart and eaten away by the FLARE and Thomas will still carry his body and look into his eyes like he's the most beautiful person to ever exist in his life HELLO????

TELL ME ABOUT how he thought of Newt and held his hand many times???

TELL ME ABOUT how no other soul except Newt calls Thomas "Tommy" ???????????

TELL ME ABOUT how Newt got mad (jealous obv 🙂‍↕️) that Thomas "cares" more about Teresa????

TELL ME ABOUT "But from the moment you ran into the maze, I knew that I would follow you anywhere. And I have. We all have. If I could do it all over again I would, and I wouldn't change a thing." Cause bro are there any other fancier words to say " I love you" ???????

TELL ME ABOUT the letter Newt gave to Thomas as he was slowly turning into a crank and dying?

TELL ME ABOUT Newt dying in Thomas's arms?????

(Fanon)

TELL ME ABOUT HOW IN THAT *ONE* FANFIC noticing Newt's limp, Thomas slowly walks Newt through the scorch, hand in hand with him and never letting Newt out of his touch, and when Newt gets too tired he'll say, "It's okay, I can carry you there" (Thomas taking care of Newt especially when he's limping is just SKSSKAKAJKAKS)

Tell me about despite his physical and mental flaws, Thomas will look back to Newt and say, "I love you."

Tell me about despite all the terrors and fast paced events that they have gone through Newt will look back to Thomas and say, "You can't save everyone. I'm really proud of you and I love you, Tommy." (Ykyk Newt lives alternative)

I love Newtmas too much :(((

I wondered how many gladers promised their friends, partners, and loved ones to take them to safe haven yet ended up becoming cranks, losing their loved ones, or even themselves trying to fight through..

Great. I am now in tears.

As long as I'm immune from the flare, I would still kiss Newt is his crank form.

Yes, even if black stuff was coming out of his mouth. Like, seriously.