{ "id": 11531, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Swift Catches Mega Flares from a Mini Star", "description": "On April 23, NASA's Swift satellite detected the strongest, hottest, and longest-lasting sequence of stellar flares ever seen from a nearby red dwarf star. The initial blast from this record-setting series of explosions was as much as 10,000 times more powerful than the largest solar flare ever recorded. At its peak, the flare reached temperatures of 360 million degrees Fahrenheit (200 million Celsius), more than 12 times hotter than the center of the sun. The \"superflare\" came from one of the stars in a close binary system known as DG Canum Venaticorum, or DG CVn for short, located about 60 light-years away. Both stars are dim red dwarfs with masses and sizes about one-third of our sun's. They orbit each other at about three times Earth's average distance from the sun, which is too close for Swift to determine which star erupted. At 5:07 p.m. EDT on April 23, the rising tide of X-rays from DG CVn's superflare triggered Swift's Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). Swift turned to observe the source in greater detail with other instruments and, at the same time, notified astronomers around the globe that a powerful outburst was in progress.For about three minutes after the BAT trigger, the superflare's X-ray brightness was greater than the combined luminosity of both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions.The largest solar explosions are classified as extraordinary, or X class, solar flares based on their X-ray emission. The biggest flare ever seen from the sun occurred in November 2003 and is rated as X 45. But if the flare on DG CVn were viewed from a planet the same distance as Earth is from the sun and measured the same way, it would have been ranked 10,000 times greater, at about X 100,000. How can a star just a third the size of the sun produce such a giant eruption? The key factor is its rapid spin, a crucial ingredient for amplifying magnetic fields. The flaring star in DG CVn rotates in under a day, about 30 or more times faster than our sun. The sun also rotated much faster in its youth and may well have produced superflares of its own, but, fortunately for us, it no longer appears capable of doing so. || ", "release_date": "2014-09-30T14:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:50:30.351559-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 455893, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080.jpg", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 }, "main_video": { "id": 455874, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 }, "main_credits": { "Visualizations by": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, "progress": "Complete", "media_groups": [ { "id": 344513, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/#media_group_344513", "widget": "Basic text with HTML", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "On April 23, NASA's Swift satellite detected the strongest, hottest, and longest-lasting sequence of stellar flares ever seen from a nearby red dwarf star. The initial blast from this record-setting series of explosions was as much as 10,000 times more powerful than the largest solar flare ever recorded.

At its peak, the flare reached temperatures of 360 million degrees Fahrenheit (200 million Celsius), more than 12 times hotter than the center of the sun.

The \"superflare\" came from one of the stars in a close binary system known as DG Canum Venaticorum, or DG CVn for short, located about 60 light-years away. Both stars are dim red dwarfs with masses and sizes about one-third of our sun's. They orbit each other at about three times Earth's average distance from the sun, which is too close for Swift to determine which star erupted.

At 5:07 p.m. EDT on April 23, the rising tide of X-rays from DG CVn's superflare triggered Swift's Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). Swift turned to observe the source in greater detail with other instruments and, at the same time, notified astronomers around the globe that a powerful outburst was in progress.

For about three minutes after the BAT trigger, the superflare's X-ray brightness was greater than the combined luminosity of both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions.

The largest solar explosions are classified as extraordinary, or X class, solar flares based on their X-ray emission. The biggest flare ever seen from the sun occurred in November 2003 and is rated as X 45. But if the flare on DG CVn were viewed from a planet the same distance as Earth is from the sun and measured the same way, it would have been ranked 10,000 times greater, at about X 100,000.

How can a star just a third the size of the sun produce such a giant eruption? The key factor is its rapid spin, a crucial ingredient for amplifying magnetic fields. The flaring star in DG CVn rotates in under a day, about 30 or more times faster than our sun. The sun also rotated much faster in its youth and may well have produced superflares of its own, but, fortunately for us, it no longer appears capable of doing so.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 344514, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/#media_group_344514", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

For complete transcript, click here.", "items": [ { "id": 303518, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455879, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/M-Dwarf_Video_Still_2_print.jpg", "filename": "M-Dwarf_Video_Still_2_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 303520, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455878, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/M-Dwarf_Video_Still_2.jpg", "filename": "M-Dwarf_Video_Still_2.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 303519, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455880, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/M-Dwarf_Video_Still_2_web.png", "filename": "M-Dwarf_Video_Still_2_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 303509, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455874, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 303510, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455875, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 303511, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455876, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_H264_Good_1280x720_29.97.mov", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_H264_Good_1280x720_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 303512, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455883, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 303513, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455885, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_1280x720.wmv", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_1280x720.wmv", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 303514, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455877, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 303515, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455882, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_appletv.m4v", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_appletv.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 303521, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455886, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_appletv.webmhd.webm", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_appletv.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 303524, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455887, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 303516, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455881, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_ipod_lg.m4v", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_ipod_lg.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 303522, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 853141, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 303523, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 853142, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/11531_Flaring_MDwarf_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt", "filename": "11531_Flaring_MDwarf_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 303517, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455884, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4", "filename": "G2014-041_Flaring_M-Dwarf_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "In April 2014, NASA's Swift mission detected a massive superflare from a red dwarf star in the binary system DG CVn, located about 60 light-years away. Astronomers Rachel Osten of the Space Telescope Science Institute and Stephen Drake of NASA Goddard discuss this remarkable event. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 240, "pixels": 76800 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 344515, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/#media_group_344515", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "items": [ { "id": 303530, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455893, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080.jpg", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 303532, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455895, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080_print.jpg", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 303526, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455889, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_4k.jpg", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_4k.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 7282, "height": 4096, "pixels": 29827072 } }, { "id": 303528, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455891, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_2k.jpg", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_2k.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 3641, "height": 2048, "pixels": 7456768 } }, { "id": 303531, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455894, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_4k_web.jpg", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_4k_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 318, "height": 179, "pixels": 56922 } }, { "id": 303533, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455896, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080_searchweb.png", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 303534, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455897, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080_thm.png", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 303529, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455892, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080.tiff", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_1080.tiff", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 303525, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455888, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_4k.tiff", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_4k.tiff", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 7282, "height": 4096, "pixels": 29827072 } }, { "id": 303527, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455890, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_2k.tiff", "filename": "DG_CVn_Flare_FINAL_2k.tiff", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "NASA's Swift mission detected a record-setting series of X-ray flares unleashed by DG CVn, a nearby binary consisting of two red dwarf stars, illustrated here. At its peak, the initial flare was brighter in X-rays than the combined light from both stars at all wavelengths under normal conditions. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/S. Wiessinger", "width": 3641, "height": 2048, "pixels": 7456768 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 344516, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/#media_group_344516", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. No labels.

Credit: NASA/Swift", "items": [ { "id": 303535, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455898, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/dg_cvn_XRT_no_labels.jpg", "filename": "dg_cvn_XRT_no_labels.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. No labels. Credit: NASA/Swift", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "pixels": 1166400 } }, { "id": 303536, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455899, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/dg_cvn_XRT_no_labels_print.jpg", "filename": "dg_cvn_XRT_no_labels_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. No labels. Credit: NASA/Swift", "width": 1024, "height": 1024, "pixels": 1048576 } }, { "id": 303537, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455900, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/dg_cvn_XRT_no_labels_web.png", "filename": "dg_cvn_XRT_no_labels_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. No labels. Credit: NASA/Swift", "width": 320, "height": 320, "pixels": 102400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 344517, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/#media_group_344517", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption.

Credit: NASA/Swift", "items": [ { "id": 303538, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455901, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/dg_cvn_XRT_labels.jpg", "filename": "dg_cvn_XRT_labels.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. Credit: NASA/Swift", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "pixels": 1166400 } }, { "id": 303539, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455902, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/dg_cvn_XRT_labels_print.jpg", "filename": "dg_cvn_XRT_labels_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. Credit: NASA/Swift", "width": 1024, "height": 1024, "pixels": 1048576 } }, { "id": 303540, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 455903, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011500/a011531/dg_cvn_XRT_labels_web.png", "filename": "dg_cvn_XRT_labels_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Swift’s X-Ray Telescope captured this image of DG CVn’s superflare about an hour after the initial eruption. Credit: NASA/Swift", "width": 320, "height": 320, "pixels": 102400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 344518, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11531/#media_group_344518", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasas-swift-mission-observes-mega-flares-from-a-mini-star/](http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasas-swift-mission-observes-mega-flares-from-a-mini-star/)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Astrophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" }, { "name": "Tom Bridgman", "employer": "Global Science and Technology, Inc." }, { "name": "Walt Feimer", "employer": "HTSI" } ] }, { "role": "Video editor", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Interviewee", "people": [ { "name": "Rachel Osten", "employer": "STScI" }, { "name": "Stephen Drake", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Narrator", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Project support", "people": [ { "name": "Aaron E. Lepsch", "employer": "ADNET Systems, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Videographer", "people": [ { "name": "Rob Andreoli", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." }, { "name": "John Caldwell", "employer": "Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Writer", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "Syneren Technologies" }, { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] } ], "missions": [ "Swift" ], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Astrophysics Stills", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [ "M Dwarf Super Flare (Produced by: Robert Crippen)" ], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Binary Star", "Edited Feature", "HDTV", "Interview", "Music", "Narrated", "Star", "Swift", "X-ray" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 11672, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11672/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Superflare", "description": "On April 23, 2014, NASA's Swift satellite detected the strongest, hottest, and longest-lasting sequence of stellar flares ever seen from a nearby red dwarf star. The outbursts came from one of the stars in a close binary system known as DG Canum Venaticorum, or DG CVn for short, located about 60 light-years away. Both stars are dim red dwarfs with masses and sizes about one-third of our sun's. When stellar flares erupt they emit radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to visible, ultraviolet and X-ray light. At 5:07 p.m. EDT on April 23, the rising tide of X-rays from DG CVn's initial blast triggered Swift’s detector. Scientists found the explosion was as much as 10,000 times more powerful than the largest solar flare ever recorded. Watch the video to learn more. || ", "release_date": "2014-10-09T11:30:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:50:27.449996-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 450507, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011600/a011672/c-1024_print.jpg", "filename": "c-1024_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A red dwarf star unleashes a series of powerful flares.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 10109, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10109/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares", "description": "Flares happen when the powerful magnetic fields in and around the sun reconnect. They're usually associated with active regions, often seen as sun spots, where the magnetic fields are strongest. Flares are classified according to their strength. The smallest ones are B-class, followed by C, M and X, the largest. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output. So an X is 10 times an M and 100 times a C. Within each letter class, there is a finer scale from 1 to 9. C-class flares are too weak to noticeably affect Earth. M-class flares can cause brief radio blackouts at the poles and minor radiation storms that might endanger astronauts. Although X is the last letter, there are flares more than 10 times the power of an X1, so X-class flares can go higher than 9. The most powerful flare on record was in 2003, during the last solar maximum. It was so powerful that it overloaded the sensors measuring it. They cut-out at X17, and the flare was later estimated to be about X45. A powerful X-class flare like that can create long lasting radiation storms, which can harm satellites and even give airline passengers, flying near the poles, small radiation doses. X flares also have the potential to create global transmission problems and world-wide blackouts. || ", "release_date": "2011-08-09T10:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:53:41.957045-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 487409, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010100/a010109/Solar_Flares_1280x720_Still_1_print.jpg", "filename": "Solar_Flares_1280x720_Still_1_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Short narrated video about flares, how they are classified, and their effect on Earth.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 3535, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3535/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "Halloween Storms 2003: SOHO/EIT and TRACE at 195 Angstroms", "description": "This visualization compares the full-disk solar view of SOHO/EIT (green, on the left) with the small field of view of the TRACE ultraviolet telescope (gold, on the right). The yellow border of the TRACE imagery is projected on the appropriate location on the green EIT imagery. Notice that TRACE can track features as they move across the solar disk. The instrument pointing is adjusted on a regular basis, which can produce a considerable amount of jittering in the image. This is a variation on the treatment of the same data as Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): Data Collection Comparison.Note that this movie does not play synchronous with the other animations that are part of the SDO Prelaunch package. || ", "release_date": "2008-08-15T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2024-06-24T15:39:21.438091-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 503190, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003535/EITTRACEside_stand.HD1080i.05000.jpg", "filename": "EITTRACEside_stand.HD1080i.05000.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A synchronous play of SOHO/EIT (left) and TRACE (right) imagery from the 2003 Halloween Solar Storms.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }