Check out the massive solar flare the sun had today

The sun was pretty active Wednesday, unleashing a huge solar flare toward the Earth.

By Solar Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published September 9, 2014

The sun was pretty active Wednesday, unleashing a huge solar flare toward the Earth.

The sun fired off what's known as an X-class solar flare, the most powerful type of flare, around 1:45 p.m. ET. The flare came out of a sunspot called Active Region 2158, which faces toward the Earth.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft caught images of the big event, which posed no threat to Earth or astronauts aboard the International Space Station, NASA officials told Space.com.

Written by

Solar Daily Editorial Team

The Solar Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Solar Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.