Earth-directed X-class flare and CME (September 10, 2014)

Hi-res TIF (3.0M)

Movies: QT: Large ( 29M) Small (2.0M)
MPEG: MP4 Large (5.3M), Small (2.5M) M4V (528K)

An active region just about squarely facing Earth erupted with an X 1.6 flare (largest class) as well as a coronal mass ejection (CME) on Sept. 10-11, 2014. This event featured both a long flare decay time and a storm of electrically charged, energetic particles. The particles can be seen as bright white specks scattering across the frames. The coronagraph movie shows the cloud of particles expanding in all directions as if it were creating a halo around the Sun.

Data shows that the CME was heading towards Earth that could generate strong aurora displays several days later. In coronagraph images the Sun (represented by the small white circle in the center) is blocked by an occulting disk so that we can observe faint features in the corona and beyond. Credit: SOHO, NASA/ESA.

The graph below shows the arrival of the CME near Earth as observed by SOHO's CELIAS instrument.

(click to enlarge)

See a still and movie of the actual flare as observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display.

If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov.