Solar active region on May 7, 2024 (IMAGE)
Caption
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of the Sun on May 7, 2024, in extreme ultraviolet light (at a wavelength of 304 Ångstroms). At center, the active region that instigated the Gannon storm stretches approximately 17 times the size of Earth. (A scaled image of Earth is inset for size reference.) In early May 2024, the active region released a chain of powerful solar eruptions, including several coronal mass ejections, or CMEs — giant clouds of solar particles — that merged to form a superstorm that reached Earth on May 10. Ahead of the storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, issued its first severe geomagnetic storm watch in almost two decades.
Credit
NASA/Helioviewer
Usage Restrictions
No restrictions.
License
Public Domain