The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, has observed a gigantic filament on the surface of the sun over the course of several days.

The snaking filament lies on the surface of the Sun facing Earth. If stretched out in a straight line, it is estimated to be 100 million miles across from end to end, and would be able to reach around the whole star. The equivalent distance on earth is about a hundred trips around the world.

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Filaments are clouds of solar material that are suspended by the powerful magnetic forces of the star.  They can last from days to even weeks, even if filaments are found to be highly unstable.

The SDO was able to take images of the filaments in various wavelengths, each of which sheds light on the temperatures of the different materials on the sun. Scientists can learn more regarding the causes of such structures and what catalyzes their sporadic eruptions into space by looking at the solar features in various temperatures and wavelengths.

Meanwhile, another solar phenomenon was spotted in the previous month that affected radio communications in the Earth's upper atmosphere, although the disruption was small.

At 1:46 p.m. on Sept. 10, the turbulent Sun unleashed a powerful solar flare aimed at the Earth.

The SDO recorded the flare, which was classified as an X1.6, a powerful rating.

"Impacts to HF (high frequency) radio communications on the daylight side of Earth lasted for a little more than an hour," said the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center in a bulletin.

If radiation from an X-class flare reaches the planet's ionosphere, extreme-ultraviolet light and X-rays could significantly affect radio waves used for communication.

On the other hand, the biosphere, the region of the planet that supports life, is mostly unaffected because the flare's energy is absorbed by the atmosphere.

TagsSun, NASA, SDO, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Solar filament, filament, Solar Flare