Video Captures 100,000-Mile Solar Flare

A new video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a solar flare that took the shape of a light bulb on Oct. 14.

The glowing "light bulb" plasma display stretches 100,000 miles long. Located on the left side of the Sun, the active region was not facing Earth at the time, but it has since moved over the eastern limb of the Sun and will travel in that direction over the next 12 days.

Below is the latest image from HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager), one of SDO's instruments. The photo shows the active region in its current state. Notice that the size of the region is comparable to that of the entire Earth.

On Oct. 4, SDO captured another minor eruption on the Sun th…
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