A Halloween flare⁣ ⁣ The Sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 5:20 p.m. ET on Oct. 31, 2024. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. ⁣ ⁣ Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.⁣ ⁣ During the #Artemis I mission around the Moon, 5,600 passive sensors and 34 active radiation detectors inside of the Orion spacecraft measured exposure within the Earth’s Van Allen radiation belt. The measurements show that while radiation exposure can vary depending on location within Orion, the spacecraft can protect its crew from potentially hazardous radiation levels during lunar missions. ⁣ ⁣ Image description: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – seen as the bright flash in the upper left – on Oct. 31, 2024. The image shows a subset of extreme ultravio...