NASA captures magnificent 4K video of a flare erupting from the sun
A high-definition 4K video of a flare erupting from the sun is just as great as you'd expect.
On Tuesday, NASA released a video of a flare that burst forth from Earth's nearest star on April 17, as seen by the space agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
The flare erupted from a sunspot five times the size of Earth.
SEE ALSO: A sunspot the size of 5 Earths unleashed a spectacular solar flare this week
The Solar Dynamics Observatory is designed to keep an eye on the sun in order to help scientists learn more about the star.
Solar flares occur when the sun's magnetic fields break and bend, releasing energy from the star into the solar system.
Sometimes, bursts of hot plasma also erupt from the sun, launching charged particles out into our cosmic neighborhood.
Moderate flares like the one unleashed on April 17 don't usually have any harmful impact on the planet, but more severe solar storms, if directed toward the planet, can harm satellites in orbit or even knock out electrical grids on Earth.
