On May 12 and 13 , two immense , powerful solar flares burst from the sun — and they ’re the most knock-down flare pass to occur so far in 2013 . you’re able to see the phenomena , which came from a spot out of sight on the upper remaining side of the Lord’s Day , in the stunning telecasting below , which contain imagery from NASA ’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and from NASA and the European Space Agency ’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory . ( you could also see a prominence eruption on the sunlight ’s lower right side . )
These " X - Class " flares — what NASA calls the most intense solar storms — occurred just 14 hours apart . The number after the X provides information about its durability : X2 is double as intense as X1 , X3 is three times as intense , and so on .
The first flare registered at X1.7 and peak at 10:00 p.m. on May 12 ; it was associated with a Coronal Mass Ejection ( CME ) that was not Earth - direct . The photo below blends two figure from NASA ’s Solar Dynamics Observatory : One image shows light in the 171 - angstrom wavelength , the other in 131 angstrom .
Then , at 12:05 p.m. on May 13 , another flare come about , this one X2.8 - family . The ikon of that solar flare — the strong flare so far this yr — was captured by NASA ’s Solar Dynamics Observatory in light of 131 angstroms , which , according to NASA , is " a wavelength which is especially good for capturing the intense passion of a solar solar flare and which is typically color in bluish green . " Like the first flare , this one was associated with a CME that was not directed toward Earth .
Why are we seeing such intense activity ? harmonize to NASA , " Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment because the Lord’s Day ’s normal 11 - twelvemonth activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum , which is expected in 2013 . "
