M6.0 flare at Region 13413 September 3,2023

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) operates in a geosynchronous orbit around Earth to obtain a continuous view of the Sun. The particular instrument in this visualization records imagery in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum at wavelengths normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere - so we need to observe them from space.

Active Region 13413 on the limb of the Sun erupts with mid-range flare exceeding M5 intensity. A nice loop arcade forms, apparently as part of the eruption. For details of this event, see the Space Weather database entry.

For more information on the classification of solar flares, see Solar Flares: What Does It Take to Be X-Class? or X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares. The point-spread function correction (PSF) has been applied to all this imagery.