Nasa spacecraft spots flash as ‘mid-level’ solar flare comes out of the Sun

(NASA/SDO)

Nasa has seen the bright flash of a solar flare as it emerges from the Sun.

In images taken by the space agency’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, the powerful burst of energy can be seen as a large flash.

(NASA/SDO)

It appears in the top right portion of the image. It is captured using extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the very hot material that spews out of flares.

The power of solar flares mean that experts are constantly watching for evidence of danger from the Sun. Eruptions from our sun can potentially impair radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals, as well as causing risks for the equipment and people currently in space.

The latest “mid-level” solar flare left our star on 31 March, peaking at 2.3pm eastern time, Nasa said.

The flare is only an M-class flare, Nasa said. They are about a tenth of the size of the most intense flares, which are known as X-class.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, is constantly watching the Sun as part of a global effort to observe and track our star. Nasa and other space agencies use a fleet of spacecraft to study the Sun’s activity – not only helping us understand it better, but also informing precautions on Earth to protect us from any dangers caused by solar weather.