Sun  ID: 4151

Looking Back: The Record Flare for Solar Cycle 24

Visualizations by Tom Bridgman Released on May 16, 2014
On August 9, 2011 at 3:48 a.m. EDT, the sun emitted an Earth-directed X6.9 flare, as measured by the NOAA GOES satellite. These gigantic bursts of radiation cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to harm humans on the ground, however they can disrupt the atmosphere and disrupt GPS and communications signals. In this case, it appears the flare is strong enough to potentially cause some radio communication blackouts. It also produced increased solar energetic proton radiation — enough to affect humans in space if they do not protect themselves.

As of March 2014, this flare is the largest of solar cycle 24.

Here are the raw images used in creating the components in Sun Unleashes X6.9 Class Flare on August 9, 2011
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The X6.9 flare as seen by SDO/AIA in 13.1nm filter.
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The X6.9 flare as seen by SDO/AIA in 17.1nm filter.
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The X6.9 flare as seen by SDO/AIA in 19.3nm filter.
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The X6.9 flare as seen by SDO/AIA in 30.4nm filter.
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The X6.9 flare as seen by SDO/AIA in 33.5nm filter.
 

Related

X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares
Sun Unleashes X6.9 Class Flare on August 9, 2011

Visualization Credits

Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.): Lead Animator
Scott Wiessinger (USRA): Producer
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Project Support
Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Project Support
Scott Wiessinger (USRA): Writer
William D. Pesnell (NASA/GSFC): Lead Scientist
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio, the SDO Science Team, and the Virtual Solar Observatory.

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4151

Mission:
SDO

Data Used:
SDO/AIA/335 Filter also referred to as: AIA 335
JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER - 2011-08-09T07:50 - 2011-08-09T08:20
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SDO/AIA/131 Filter also referred to as: AIA 131
JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER - 2011-08-09T07:50 - 2011-08-09T08:20
view all stories where this data set is used
SDO/AIA/171 Filter also referred to as: AIA 171
JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER - 2011-08-09T07:50 - 2011-08-09T08:20
view all stories where this data set is used
SDO/AIA/193 Filter also referred to as: AIA 193
JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER - 2011-08-09T07:50 - 2011-08-09T08:20
view all stories where this data set is used
SDO/AIA/304 Filter also referred to as: AIA 304
JOINT SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTER - 2011-08-09T07:50 - 2011-08-09T08:20
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Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
SVS >> HDTV
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Sun-earth Interactions
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Sun-earth Interactions >> Solar Activity >> Solar Flares
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Sun-earth Interactions >> Solar Activity >> Solar Ultraviolet
SVS >> Space Weather
SVS >> SDO
SVS >> Solar Dynamics Observatory
SVS >> Heliophysics
SVS >> Corona
NASA Science >> Sun
SVS >> Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging
SVS >> EUV Imaging

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0