Space weather: Know your solar flares

M-class solar flare.  NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory

“Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth’s polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.”

Sources

• The Classification of X-ray Solar Flares
• NASA Releases Images of M-class Solar Flare

Related post:  Coronal Mass Ejection of 1859

Solar flare May 27, 2014

Image:  Solar Imagery Center

This small C-class solar flare on May 27, 2014 was pulled back into the sun by gravity. Occurring almost daily, C-class flares have little effect on Earth yet provide a tremendous sight as imaged by the NASA - Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Extreme closeup: Sunspot

Image: NSO Dunn Solar Telescope, courtesy of Thomas Rimmele

Read more: Most Powerful Solar Telescope on Earth Rises Atop Hawaiian Volcano

Solar Dynamics Observatory's revealing false color image of the sun

A full-disk multiwavelength extreme ultraviolet image of the sun taken by SDO on March 30, 2010. False colors trace different gas temperatures. Reds are relatively cool (about 60,000 Kelvin, or 107,540 F); blues and greens are hotter (greater than 1 million Kelvin, or 1,799,540 F). Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO AIA Team

In February 2010, NASA launched the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), “the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun.” NASA’s mission for SDO:

During its five-year mission, it will examine the sun's magnetic field and also provide a better understanding of the role the sun plays in Earth's atmospheric chemistry and climate. Since launch, engineers have been conducting testing and verification of the spacecraft’s components. Now fully operational, SDO will provide images with clarity 10 times better than high-definition television and will return more comprehensive science data faster than any other solar observing spacecraft.

SDO will provide critical data that will improve the ability to predict these space weather events. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., built, operates and manages the SDO spacecraft for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.