This astonishing sequence of images shows a dramatic 'flare' bursting out from the sun which could affect satellite communications and power supplies here on Earth.
The spectacular development unleashed a radiation firestorm on a level not seen for five years which is expected to cause a 'moderate' geomagnetic storm when it reaches Earth.
The spectacular development unleashed a radiation firestorm on a level not seen for five years which is expected to cause a 'moderate' geomagnetic storm when it reaches Earth.
Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the event which combines a flare, a coronal mass ejection (CME) and a minor radiation storm.
'This one was rather dramatic,' said Bill Murtagh, programme co-ordinator at the NWS's Space Weather Prediction Centre, describing the M-2 (medium-sized) solar flare that peaked at 1:41 am Eastern time in the United States, or 0541 GMT on Monday.
'We saw the initial flare occurring and it wasn't that big but then the eruption associated with it -- we got energy particle radiation flowing in and we got a big coronal mass ejection,' he said.
'You can see all the materials blasting up from the sun so it is quite fantastic to look at.'
Nasa's solar dynamics observatory, which launched last year and provided the high-definition pictures and video of the event, described it as 'visually spectacular,' but noted that since the eruption was not pointed directly at Earth, the effects were expected to remain 'fairly small'.
'The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface,' said a Nasa statement.
Murtagh said space weather analysts were watching closely to see whether the event would cause any collision of magnetic fields between the sun and Earth, some 93million miles (150million km) apart.
'We saw the initial flare occurring and it wasn't that big but then the eruption associated with it -- we got energy particle radiation flowing in and we got a big coronal mass ejection,' he said.
'You can see all the materials blasting up from the sun so it is quite fantastic to look at.'
Nasa's solar dynamics observatory, which launched last year and provided the high-definition pictures and video of the event, described it as 'visually spectacular,' but noted that since the eruption was not pointed directly at Earth, the effects were expected to remain 'fairly small'.
'The large cloud of particles mushroomed up and fell back down looking as if it covered an area of almost half the solar surface,' said a Nasa statement.
Murtagh said space weather analysts were watching closely to see whether the event would cause any collision of magnetic fields between the sun and Earth, some 93million miles (150million km) apart.
bilada ? 
