Close-up view of a massive solar flare erupts on the Sun.
February 15, 2011 - Active region 1158 let loose with an flare, the largest flare since 2006, and the biggest flare so far in Solar Cycle 24. Active Region 1158 is in the southern hemisphere, which has been lagging the north in activity but now leads in big flares. A coronal mass ejection was also associated with the flare. Much of the vertical line in the image is caused by the bright flash overwhelming the SDO imager.
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Photo credit: © Stocktrek Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
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