Solar-staring spacecraft shows its flare

Hurling a storm of charged particles earthward, this solar eruption was imaged Dec. 13, 2006, by the recently launched Japanese–U.S.–British Hinode spacecraft (SN: 11/11/06, p. 309: New eye on the sun).

A flare (bright areas) arches over a sunspot, whose dark region’s diameter is about four times as large as that of Earth.