‘One of the Best’ Solar Eruptions in Years Is Caught on Camera

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded an incredible solar prominence eruption yesterday, and experts are calling the event one of the best, most spectacular events of the current solar cycle.

As reported by Space, the “colossal eruption” occurred yesterday, August 20th, and is one of the most explosive, stunning eruptions of the current solar cycle, number 25, which started in December 2019.

Solar physicist Dr. Ryan French from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado describes the eruption as “stunning.”

“A stunning eruption of filament plasma from the Sun this morning!” French explains on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This size of event can cause strong aurora activity if directed towards Earth, but alas — this one was not.”

So, unfortunately, this wild eruption will not cause beautiful auroral displays in Earth’s atmosphere, a disappointment for photographers, but that doesn’t detract from the incredible sight.

Vincent Levine, known online as “the aurora guy,” describes the eruption as “one of the best” of the solar cycle on X.

“I still can’t get over how beautiful this eruption was… now just imagine if it were directed right at us,” Ledvina added in a response to the video above. “I wonder what kind of geomatics storm we would see.”

“The absolutely spectacular eruptive prominence this morning will likely be one of the top events of Solar Cycle 25,” aurora chaser Jure Atanackov wrote on X. “What a blast! Unfortunately it will miss us completely.”

Although the solar event, which has space weather enthusiasts abuzz, won’t create auroras on Earth, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. The Sun is currently relatively active, and as Spaceweather wrote today, the Arctic aurora season has started. The first easily visible auroras in months lit up the skies earlier this week.