* Astronomy

NASA's SDO Observes 'Cinco de Mayo' Solar Flare

The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 6:11 p.m. EDT on May 5, 2015. NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event. 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.
Read more