NASA’s SDO Captures Mid-Level Solar Flare

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured images of a mid level solar flare emitted by the Sun on March 12, 2014.

The space agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured the M9.3 level flare that was emitted by an active region on the Sun's surface dubbed AR 11996. The images were captured in different wavelengths and colorized representing varying aspects of the same solar flare.

The solar flare peaked at 6.34 p.m. EDT and the space agency is not sure whether this solar flare was accompanied by any coronal mass ejection (CME).

According to Space Weather, the ultra violet radiation from the flare trigged waves of ionization to flow through the upper atmosphere of Earth. These ionized waves slightly changed the propagation of low frequency radio transmissions around the world.

Solar flare is defined as the powerful bursts of radiation. These harmful radiations from the flare cannot pass the Earth's atmosphere and cause damage to human inhabitants but when they are intense enough, they can trigger a huge disturbance in the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communication signals travel.

Earlier this year, NASA's IRIS telescope captured its strongest solar flare that occurred on Jan. 28, 2014. In the year 2013, the strongest solar flare occurred on May 13 and it was accompanied by CMEs. It was classified as X3.2.

The NOAA forecasters estimated an 80 percent chance of  M class flares and 15 percent of X class flares on March 13^th.

Solar flares are divided into various categories. The M class flares are weaker than the more intense flares that are labeled as X class flares, and they are known to pose a greater threat to astronauts and satellites present in the orbit. M2 is twice as intense as M1 and M3 is three times as intense. The weakest solar flares are classified as A class solar flares.