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The Sun has unleashed an M-2 )medium-sized) solar flare with a huge coronal mass ejection (CME) that has made for some truly remarkable video and images.

As well as being one of the most spectacular solar events recorded, this was also one of the best observed, with complementary data from several spacecraft and multiple vantage points, managed by three different space observatories:

The Solar Dynamics Observatory’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly recorded the amazing event in stunning detail in different wavelengths. Additionally, the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory’s (SOHO) LASCO coronagraph and STEREO’s (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) SECCHI instrument suite observed the prominence and associated CME as they traveled out into the heliosphere. Using LASCO and SECCHI data, the speed of the leading edge of the CME was estimated to be in the range 1200 – 1600 km/s.

Luckily the Earth will only receive a glancing blow, limiting the disruption this will cause. with model calculations predicting that Earth will receive a glancing blow of the CME on June 10, possibly sparking some nice aurorae at high latitudes, according to the SDO team.

The size of the prominence is thought to be at least 75 times the size of the Earth. The image below shows the prominence in relation to the size of Earth (Earth is represented by the very small blue dot in the top-left corner of the image). A video of the event can be viewed below the image, and you can visit the websites of the organisations mentioned above for more information.

(News article originally appeared on Universe Today)