A picture of the Sun emitting a mid-level solar flare has been taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on Thursday.
It had peaked at 1.01 am EST (11.31am IST). A solar flare is an intense eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, accompanied by coronal mass ejections and other solar phenomena.
Although the harmful radiation of a flare can't pass through Earth's atmosphere to affect life on the planet, it can impact electric power grids, navigation signals, radio communications, when it is highly intense. It also poses risk to spacecraft and astronauts.
According to NASA's site, "Solar flares produce high energy particles and radiation that are dangerous to living organisms. However, on the surface of the Earth, we are well protected from the effects of solar flares by the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. The most dangerous emissions from flares are energetic charged particles (primarily high-energy protons) and electromagnetic radiation (primarily x-rays)."