Solar flare in spectacular HD
NASA has released a video of August's solar flare in 1080p high definition.
Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
(Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/SDO)
NASA has released a video of August's solar flare in 1080p high definition.
On 31 August, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured a massive solar flare, or coronal mass ejection (CME). Big enough to engulf the Earth several times over, although thankfully too far away and in the wrong direction, it was responsible for aurora borealis appearing in Canada.
Although it travelled at over 1450 kilometres per second, you can see exactly how it behaved, from several different angles, in the video below. Crank it right up to 1080p, flip on full screen, and watch the fireworks go boom.