coronal mass ejection

A string-like line of plasma was ejected from the sun Aug. 31.

The sun is ramping up toward an activity peak in 2013.

NASA's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes will study Earth's radiation-heavy Van Allen Belts.

The Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission was scheduled to blast off Thursday morning.

A pinkish-purple filament snakes between two massive sunspots.

The Hi-C telescope took the photos on a 10-minute suborbital flight.

The flare erupted from a sunspot known as AR 1520.

Thursday's powerful solar eruption could bring spectacular auroras to the continental United States.

The feature is actually a coronal hole, an area where the sun's outer atmosphere is dark.

Learn about the people who watch what the sun is dishing out.