<p class="c4"><strong>Solar material dances on the sun in this image of a mid-level flare from NASA’s<a class="c10" href="http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/">Solar Dynamics Observatory</a> taken May 3.</strong></p><p class="c4">Known as a prominence eruption, the flare is a bright feature extending from the sun’s surface. It forms over the course of a day and erupts when the structure becomes unstable and releases the plasma held within.</p><p class="c4">An increase in solar flares is to be expected as the sun’s 11-year activity cycle ramps up toward the solar maximum, expected to reach its peak in late 2013. (Related: <a class="c10" href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/11/solar-storm-heading-towards-earth/">“Solar Storm Heading Toward Earth.”</a>)</p><p class="c4">—<em>Kate Andries</em></p>
Solar Burst
Solar material dances on the sun in this image of a mid-level flare from NASA’sSolar Dynamics Observatory taken May 3.
Known as a prominence eruption, the flare is a bright feature extending from the sun’s surface. It forms over the course of a day and erupts when the structure becomes unstable and releases the plasma held within.
An increase in solar flares is to be expected as the sun’s 11-year activity cycle ramps up toward the solar maximum, expected to reach its peak in late 2013. (Related: “Solar Storm Heading Toward Earth.”)
—Kate Andries
Space Pictures This Week: Sunrise From Space, Saturn After Dark
Astronauts see the sun rise from space, Saturn goes dark, and a volcano spews ash in this week’s best space pictures.
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