© ISS Crew Earth Observations/Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space CenterThis striking aurora image was taken during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on May 24, 2010. The ISS was located over the Southern Indian Ocean.
A powerful solar flare, hurled into space when superhot gases erupted on the sun yesterday (Feb, 13), might cause a display of the aurora borealis for parts of the northern United States overnight tonight (Feb. 14).
The sun unleashed the solar flare yesterday at about 12:30 p.m. EST (1730 GMT) from a sunspot region that was barely visible last week. Since then, it has grown in size to more than 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) across - nearly eight times the width of our Earth.
The flare was categorized by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center in Colorado as a Class M6.6 and is the strongest solar flare observed in 2011. It could ramp up
northern lights displays for skywatchers living in northern latitudes and graced with clear skies.
Such a flare, covering more than 1 billion square miles of the
sun's surface (called the photosphere), was described as "moderate" in intensity. Class M flares are stronger than the weakest category (Class C). They are second only to the most intense Class X solar flares, which can cause disruptions to satellites and communications systems and pose a hazard to astronauts in space.
NOAA's Prediction Center has forecast the possibility of additional solar flares from the same sunspot region over the next two or three days.
