Sun Eruption Is Massive, Says NASA

The New Year’s Eve sun eruption was so huge that it could swallow 20 Earths, NASA reports. The giant solar eruption was captured on camera by NASA’s powerful Solar Dynamics Observatory.

A solar eruption gracefully rose up from the sun on Dec. 31, 2012, twisting and turning. Magnetic forces drove the flow of plasma, but without sufficient force to overcome the sun’s gravity much of the plasma fell back into the sun.

The length of the eruption extends about 160,000 miles out from the Sun. With Earth about 7,900 miles in diameter, this relatively minor eruption is about 20 times the diameter of our planet.

The sun is currently in an active phase of its 11-year solar activity cycle and is expected to reach its peak level later this year. However, NASA scientists have said that the peak of the current cycle, known as Solar Cycle 24, may be the lowest of its kind in a century.

Image Credit: NASA/SDO