Sun has biggest solar flare of the year
The bright spot near the center of the photo is a solar flare that NASA observed on Sunday.
February 15th, 2011
12:14 PM ET

Sun has biggest solar flare of the year

If you live at a high northern or southern latitude, watch for some spectacular lights in the sky Tuesday night.

The sun unleashed its strongest solar flare of the year Sunday, and the cloud of radiation it spewed will hit Earth's magnetic field Tuesday, NASA said.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a brief but intense flash signaling the ejection of a cloud of ultraviolet radiation.

The source of the flare, sunspot 1158, is growing rapidly, the observatory reported.

 Post by:
Filed under: Science • Space
soundoff (291 Responses)
  1. somewhereintime

    All of these postings are hilarious to me! So it is now 3:00 pm on Tuesday, nothing out of the ordinary, Video on demand didnt work but I highly doubt that had to do with this, Verizon just has issues. Anything New?

    February 15, 2011 at 2:56 pm | Report abuse |
  2. gt

    Interesting.. but it would be nice if CNN reported on the biggest solar flare in 4 years that just went off today.

    quote:
    "The strongest solar flare in 4 years was unleashed from sunspot region 1158 on February 15 as it fired off a X2.2 flare! The ‘x-class’ is the highest scale in the rating system used to classify solar flares."

    http://modernsurvivalblog.com/solar-cycle/staring-down-the-barrel-at-sunspot-1158/

    February 15, 2011 at 2:56 pm | Report abuse |
  3. ADM

    (Conversation with presidents past and president)
    G.W.Bush: "This was no super galactic event. This was the work of al qaeda. We need to come up with a plan to stop their stategery"

    B.Clinton "Whats going on.... (with a smerk) did I miss something, hey whys my radio cutting in an out, I was rockin to that song. Who let the dogs out...

    B. Obama: Mr. Bush, Mr. Clinton we have a serious problem here. We need to come together and face the problem head on, we need to show the other nations that we will not be beaten. We will prevale, we will perserveer. YES we can. We will stand together and face this issue and be stronger for it........... (whispers to guy next to him) "Whats going on again?"

    February 15, 2011 at 2:57 pm | Report abuse |
    • hisarrow

      It's "smirk", not smerk; "prevail", not prevale; and "persevere", not perserveer. Your spelling is so bad that your joke was ruined.

      February 15, 2011 at 3:16 pm | Report abuse |
  4. hoofleau

    Hey guys, don't make fun of what you don't understand. There won't be anyplace to run or hide.

    February 15, 2011 at 2:59 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Ana

    In the words of Norman Greenbaum, "Prepare yourself, you know that you must, you gotta have a friend in Jesus, so you know that when you die, He's gonna recommend you to the Spirit in the Sky. Gonna recommend you to the Spirit in the Sky, that's where you're gonna go when you die, when you die and they lay you rest you're gonna go to the place that's the best!!! "

    February 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm | Report abuse |
    • bailoutsos

      I prefer "When You Going to Buy Me A Canned Ham."

      February 15, 2011 at 3:51 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Lord Godfrey

    GEORGE BUSH is behind the solar flares!

    February 15, 2011 at 3:03 pm | Report abuse |
  7. c'esmoi

    Flattery will get you Everywhere with Me! Keep it Up.

    February 15, 2011 at 3:35 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Cesar

    The sun's in heat.

    February 15, 2011 at 3:40 pm | Report abuse |
    • c'esmoi

      apparently is aware of what's been going in in Adam's basement...

      February 15, 2011 at 3:41 pm | Report abuse |
  9. don

    2012...the end of an age.....NOT the end of the world!

    February 15, 2011 at 3:44 pm | Report abuse |
  10. ET

    The aliens are warning us, I mean warming us

    February 15, 2011 at 3:48 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Denise

    Space is so cool....supernovas, nebulas, solar flares, meteorites......

    February 15, 2011 at 3:52 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Rick

    The effect from today's X-Flare will hit the atmosphere this THURSDAY, not Tuesday (today). That's when any auroras will be most spectacular. By the way, you're only in potential danger if you're in an airplane when the storm arrives (you might get at most the equivalent of a chest-xray radiation dose), on the International Space Station, or you're a satellite.

    February 15, 2011 at 3:53 pm | Report abuse |
  13. generics

    Morons in this thread worried about the world ending in 2012. Lol.

    February 15, 2011 at 4:00 pm | Report abuse |
  14. Philip

    @Cesar...good to see yer still here with your sense of humor in tow. he he...how ya been? "To Rome! May she outlive the Tyrant" said Scaevola. "Ah, Yes!" said Caesar, drinking deeply. (snicker)

    February 15, 2011 at 4:07 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Duane - St.Pete FL

    weird....I haven't seen one "IT'S BUSH'S FAULT!"

    February 15, 2011 at 4:08 pm | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
« Back to main