Stunning images of a solar flare have been released by NASA, providing us Earth dwellers with a rare glimpse into the blazing sun.
The solar flare, which took place on the sun's right side on April 17, can be seen as a beautiful flash of light on the star’s surface. The images were captured in several wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet light, making for easy – and gorgeous – viewing.
The views were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly studies the sun to help scientists understand what causes such eruptions.
The flare pictured was of medium strength, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.
Although solar flares are defined as powerful bursts of radiation, harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through the Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground.
However, they do have the capability to disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. The April 17 flare caused brief radio blackouts