X14.4 Flare and Particle Event
Click on the images for larger/full field versions. |
MPEG movies: 512x512, 256x256, QuickTime. Still frames: 1, 2, 3. |
MPEG movies: 512x512, 256x256. QuickTime. Still frames: 1, 2, 3. |
Full field still frames:
1,
2,
3,
4.
|
Caption: Another major flare erupted on the Sun today around 13.50 UT. It is currently classified as a X14.4 flare which will place it as the 5th strongest flare on record.
A shower of high energy protons was also emitted by the Sun during this event. These are the particles that are causing a hazard to humans in space and can cause disruption of satellite electronics, and the cause of the "snow shower" seen in the LASCO and EIT images.
Links:
- Today's Space Weather from SEC/NOAA.
- SpaceWeather.com
- Our Current Space Weather summary.
- SpaceWeather.com
Instruments: Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO); Extreme ultraviolet
Imaging Telescope (EIT);
Taken: 15 April 2001.
Picture credit: SOHO/LASCO and SOHO/EIT (ESA & NASA)