Categories: Solar Astronomysun

SDO’s Guide to Solar Flares

X-Class, M-Class, C-Class… What does it all that mean, and just what is a solar flare? This video from the Solar Dynamics Observatory tells all about solar flares and how they might affect us here on Earth. Find out why NASA and NOAA are constantly monitoring the Sun for activity that could create long lasting radiation storms which can harm satellites, communications systems, and even ground-based technologies and power grids.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy has been with Universe Today since 2004, and has published over 6,000 articles on space exploration, astronomy, science and technology. She is the author of two books: "Eight Years to the Moon: the History of the Apollo Missions," (2019) which shares the stories of 60 engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make landing on the Moon possible; and "Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos" (2016) tells the stories of those who work on NASA's robotic missions to explore the Solar System and beyond. Follow Nancy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Nancy_A and and Instagram at and https://www.instagram.com/nancyatkinson_ut/