Clouds ⛅during Sunset🌄 Pic1: 1/269s F/1.89 5.43mm ISO100 Pic2: 1/225s F/1.89 5.43mm ISO132 . 📷

Lovely honey bee🐝 on a dandelion - pollen baskets in pic 2 🌟🌿🌼🍀🌟 Pic1: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/1682s ISO-100 Pic2: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/1563s ISO-100 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . #dandelion #pollenbaskets #honeybee #honigbiene #karahindiba #löwenzahn #macrophotography #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community https://www.instagram.com/p/COGHNgEs_ui/?igshid=1xk6do7fnrzjv

Snow ❄️🌨️on walnut tree 🌳 at nightshot 🌌 - night shot series Pic1: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/14s ISO-25600 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #snow #walnuttree #night #nofilter #series #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary (at Wiener Neustadt, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLFJcJvh4S1/?igshid=e80pj28adod8

Walnut 🌳tree after snowfall 🌨️❄️ Pic1: 1/693 f/1.89 5.43mm ISO100 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #walnuttree #snow #nofilter #garden #austria #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday (at Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKHrUpHBSLl/?igshid=zgqnapxzm65w

Tree alone on sunshine 🌳🌞 Pic1: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/804s ISO-100, raw . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #tree #nofilter #landscape #sky #sunshine #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community (at Steinbrunn) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMCjO6vh8jv/?igshid=zeaz5hvwbo9k

Hanging chandelier 💡 Pic1: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/33s ISO-245 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #hangingchandelier #night #night #nofilter #ledphilips #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary (at Wiener Neustadt, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLROEJuhiQj/?igshid=ypo0659xphaz

The Sun Just Released the Most Powerful Flare of this Solar Cycle

The Sun released two significant solar flares on Sept. 6, including one that clocked in as the most powerful flare of the current solar cycle.

The solar cycle is the approximately 11-year-cycle during which the Sun’s activity waxes and wanes. The current solar cycle began in December 2008 and is now decreasing in intensity and heading toward solar minimum, expected in 2019-2020. Solar minimum is a phase when solar eruptions are increasingly rare, but history has shown that they can nonetheless be intense.

Footage of the Sept. 6 X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (131 angstrom wavelength)

Our Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of both X-class flares on Sept. 6.

Solar flares are classified according to their strength. X-class denotes the most intense flares, followed by M-class, while the smallest flares are labeled as A-class (near background levels) with two more levels in between. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each of the five levels of letters represents a 10-fold increase in energy output. 

The first flare peaked at 5:10 a.m. EDT, while the second, larger flare, peaked at 8:02 a.m. EDT.

Footage of the Sept. 6 X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (171 angstrom wavelength) with Earth for scale

Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb Earth’s atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.

Both Sept. 6 flares erupted from an active region labeled AR 2673. This area also produced a mid-level solar flare on Sept. 4, 2017. This flare peaked at 4:33 p.m. EDT, and was about a tenth the strength of X-class flares like those measured on Sept. 6.

Footage of the Sept. 4 M5.5 solar flare captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (131 angstrom wavelength)

This active region continues to produce significant solar flares. There were two flares on the morning of Sept. 7 as well. 

For the latest updates and to see how these events may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.

Follow @NASASun on Twitter and NASA Sun Science on Facebook to keep up with all the latest in space weather research.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

Sun 🌞 Pic1: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/6329s ISO-100 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #sky #clearsky #sun #nofilter #sunseries #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary https://www.instagram.com/p/CLOl7HjBKZ_/?igshid=17gjrz1m3li7m

Day 17: Black & White - Beautiful draw on cover page of the booklet daily photo challenge by @rebels_united F/1.89 5.43mm 1/200s ISO-800, raw 📸 #mi10tpro . . #luxiumtaurus #coverbooklet #instantcapture #december #draw #instalike #photooftheday #awesome #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community_member #rebels_united #rebel_scapes #raw_mobile #raw_mobilephoto #rebel_bnw #RebelsUnitedDec2022POTD (hier: Shopping City Süd) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmR5Pb5IpuJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Gσιɳɠ 🕊️ƚσ ʂυɳʂҽƚ🌇 σʋҽɾ ƚԋҽ ɾσσϝʂ🏠 σϝ ƚԋҽ ԋσυʂҽʂ🏘️ Pic1: 1/250s f/36 55mm ISO200, raw . 📸 #canoneos #450D . . . . #sunset #nodilter #raw #roof #austria #sun #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday (at Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKmJI5QBnRw/?igshid=1bunq4615yl5z

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Buon Natale, Frohe Weihnachten,... in many languages! Stay safety and peace my friends🕊️ 📸 #mi10tpro . . #luxiumtaurus #vienna #sluka #merrychristmas #kärtnerstrasse #nightshoot #december #instalike #photooftheday #awesome #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community_member #rebels_united #rebel_scapes #raw_mobile #raw_mobilephoto (hier: 1010 Wien~ Kärnterstraße ;)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmjVMZnIh8i/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=