                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 September 2
                            A Powerful Solar Flare
      Video Credit: SOHO Consortium [2] , LASCO [3] , ESA [4] , NASA [5]

Explanation: It [6]  was one of the most powerful solar flares [7]  in
recorded history. Occurring in 2003 and seen across the electromagnetic
spectrum [8] , the Sun [9] briefly became over 100 times brighter in X-rays
[10] than normal. The day after this tremendous X [11]  17 solar flare -- and
subsequent Coronal Mass Ejection [12]  (CME) -- energetic particles [13]
emitted from the explosions struck the Earth, creating [14] auroras [15]  and
affecting satellites. The spacecraft that took these frames -- SOHO [16]  --
was put in a turtle-like safe mode [17]  to avoid further damage from this and
subsequent solar particle storms [18] . The featured time-lapse movie [19]
condenses into 10 seconds events that occurred over 4 hours. The CME, visible
around the central sun-shade, appears about three-quarters of the way through
the video, while frames toward the very end are progressively noisier as
protons [20] from the explosions [21]  strike SOHO's LASCO detector. One this
day in 1859, the effects of an even more powerful solar storm caused
telegraphs on Earth to spark in what is known as the Carrington Event [22] .
Powerful solar storms [23]  such as these may create beautiful [24]
aurora-filled skies [25] , but they also pose a real danger as they can damage
[26] satellites and even power grids across the Earth.

                     Tomorrow's picture: saturnian aurora

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [38] (MTU [39] ) & Jerry Bonnell [40]
                                  (UMCP [41] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [42] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [43]
              A service of: ASD [44]  at NASA [45]  / GSFC [46]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [47]
----------
Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
  [3] https://lasco-www.nrl.navy.mil/
  [4] https://www.esa.int/
  [5] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [6] http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/10.28Flare.html
  [7] http://spaceweather.com/solarflares/topflares.html
  [8] https://science.nasa.gov/ems/01_intro
  [9] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/
  [10] https://science.nasa.gov/ems/11_xrays
  [11] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/X-class-flares.html
  [12] https://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/cme.html
  [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energetic_particles
  [14] ap031030.html
  [15] ap031104.html
  [16] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/soho/index.html
  [17]
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Baby_Turtle.jpg/
1199px-Baby_Turtle.jpg
  [18] https://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/halloween_storms.html
  [19] https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/2003_10_28/
  [20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton
  [21] http://science.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/cmes.htm
  [22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_storm_of_1859
  [23] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_solar_storms,_2003
  [24] ap160830.html
  [25] ap970418.html
  [26]
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/
110302-solar-flares-sun-storms-earth-danger-carrington-event-science/
  [27] ap180901.html
  [28] archivepix.html
  [29] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [30] lib/aptree.html
  [31] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [32] calendar/allyears.html
  [33] /apod.rss
  [34] lib/edlinks.html
  [35] lib/about_apod.html
  [36] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=180902
  [37] ap180903.html
  [38] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [39] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [40] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [41] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [42] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [43] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [44] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [45] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [46] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [47] http://www.mtu.edu/
