The April 17, 2016 Solar Flare Captured in Stunning 4K by NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory

NASA‘s Solar Dynamic Observatory captured a stunning 4K view of the solar flare that occurred on April 17, 2016. The flare reportedly caused some radio blackouts according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

On April 17, 2016, an active region on the sun’s right side released a mid-level solar flare, which can be seen in this movie as a bright flash of light. The movie shows imagery from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which observes the sun constantly to help scientists understand what causes eruptions like these. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.