Largest Flare in Two Years (January 22, 2010)

Hi-res TIF image (1.3M)

Quicktime Movie: Large ( 23M), Small (2.3M)
MPEG Movie (5.7M)

STEREO (Behind) was in position to observe an M-class (moderate) solar flare (Jan. 17, 2010), the largest one detected for more than two years. It was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME), seen as the large cloud of particles surrounding the bright flash as well as a wave of material spreading part way across the Sun. Solar activity level has been slumbering rather quietly, but this substantial active region has shown plenty of signs of life. Besides that flare, several other, smaller flares can be seen in the video (about 30 hours). The brightness of the flares causes the light to spread along pixel rows of the detector, its tell tale signature.

SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display.

If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov.