Double Blast on the Sun

Source - Space Weather News for Jan. 28, 2011: http://spaceweather.com

DOUBLE BLAST: This morning, a spectacular double eruption on the sun produced the strongest solar flare of the year so far (an M1-class event). Plasma clouds produced by the event are expected to miss Earth, so no geomagnetic storms are in the offing. Today's edition of http://spaceweather.com highlights movies captured by SOHO and the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

STRANGE LIGHT PILLARS: A photographer has recorded extraordinary pillars of light shooting into the night sky from a corn mill in Nebraska. The tall luminous columns were capped with nested V-shaped tops that distinguish them from ordinary urban light pillars. Check http://spaceweather.com for must-see photos and an explanation of the icy phenomenon.

TEXT MESSAGES FROM THE SUN: Would you like a text message when the sun flares and geomagnetic storms erupt? Sign up for our new alert service, SpaceWeather Text: http://spaceweathertext.com .