X-treme Solar Flare

A large flare erupted from the sun on Jan. 27, 2012. This large flare is known as an X-class flare, the most powerful of all solar events. All astronauts onboard the ISS were fine, but what a site to see. This is an image of the flare taken by the X-ray telescope on Hinode.

Image Credit: JAXA/Hinode