An amateur astronomer using a specially modified telescope captured this incredible footage of a recent solar flare. This event took place in the same region of the sun as the recent coronal mass ejection, which caused spectacular auroras and malfunctioning tractors. I find it incredible that someone can see this using equipment in their backyard.
An X-class flare is the most powerful class of flare. NASA posted a photo showing the size of the Earth relative to the flare,
If you are curious about the difference between a solar flare and a coronal mass ejection, NASA has an excellent explainer video, but unfortunately, it isn't embeddable.
Previously: This otherworldly timelapse of the Aurora Borealis is astonishing
