NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — NASA recently released awe-inspiring footage capturing a colossal ‘canyon of fire’ erupting from the sun on Halloween day. This extraordinary solar event was a massive explosion of radiation, measuring a staggering 6,200 miles in width and extending over a mind-boggling 62,000 miles in length.
To put this into perspective, it was approximately twice the size of the entire United States, making it a celestial spectacle of epic proportions.
Remarkably, this eruption was even visible to NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars, which sits at a staggering distance of 145.59 million miles from Earth.
To emphasize its scale, this plasma canyon surpassed the size of the largest-known crater in our solar system, dwarfing even Mars’ Valles Marineris, which is 50 times shorter in length.
The captivating video showcases the gradual formation of the solar filament on the sun’s southeastern limb. As it develops, it accelerates until it bursts, unleashing electrified gas directly towards the ‘Earth-strike-zone.’
The stunning recording was made possible by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) on October 30 as it made its orbit around our massive star.
The primary instigator of this stunning solar display was the sunspot AR3477. It released an M flare, which has the potential to cause brief radio blackouts that predominantly affect Earth’s polar regions.
However, EarthSky reported that this sunspot emitted an astounding eight C flares in the past 24 hours, illustrating the sun’s dynamic and unpredictable behavior.
Moreover, on November 1, AR3477 unleashed an M1.2 flare, which led to radio blackouts over the South Indian Ocean.
Furthermore, the effects of the flare released the previous month could reach Earth on November 4, highlighting the relevance and significance of studying these celestial events.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recently achieved the remarkable distinction of becoming the fastest artificial object in human history. During its 17th solar swing on September 27, SDO reached an astonishing speed of 394,736 miles per hour (mph).
This velocity is twice as fast as a lightning bolt and a staggering 200 times faster than a rifle bullet.
The spacecraft managed to accomplish this milestone while coming within a mere 4.51 million miles from the sun’s surface, marking a new distance record.
Launched on August 12, 2018, SDO was designed to scrutinize the sun and enhance our understanding of its intricate dynamics.
In 2021, the probe uncovered the source of solar energetic particles that pose a threat to crewed spaceflight, near-Earth satellites, and airplanes.
By analyzing the composition of particles heading toward Earth in 2014, researchers identified the same ‘fingerprint’ of plasma located within the sun’s chromosphere, its second-most outer layer.
These solar energetic particles are emitted from the sun at high velocities during storms in its atmosphere. The insights from this research could prove invaluable in forecasting major solar storms more accurately and taking swift measures to mitigate potential risks.
The sun, a magnificent celestial body, continues to surprise us with its complex and intriguing phenomena.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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