A Series of Flares from November Active Region 12205

Released Wednesday, November 5, 2014

ID: 10158

Cropped image of the Nov. 7, 2014 X1.6 flare, as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in a blend of 171 and 131 angstroms.

Credit: NASA/GSFC/SDO

Images of the flares from the active region labeled AR 12205, which rotated over the left limb of the sun on Nov. 3, 2014.

An active region on the sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 5, 2014. This was the second mid-level flare from the same active region. The third flare was an X1.6, emitted on Nov. 7, 2014, peaking at 12:26 pm EST.

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 the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.

This flare is classified as an M7.9-class flare. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength. An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense, etc.

Image of the Nov. 7, 2014 X1.6 flare, as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in a blend of 171 and 131 angstroms.

Credit: NASA/GSFC/SDO

Image of the Nov. 7, 2014 X1.6 flare, as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory in a 131 angstroms.

Credit: NASA/SDO

An active region on the sun erupted with a mid-level flare on Nov. 5, 2014, as seen in the bright light of this image captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. This image shows extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the hot solar material in the sun's atmosphere. Shown here with the Earth to scale.

Credit: NASA/GSFC/SDO