Image description: On May 19, 2005, NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured this stunning view as the Sun sank below the rim of Gusev crater on Mars. This Panoramic Camera mosaic was taken around 6:07 in the evening of the rover’s 489th Martian day, or sol.

From NASA:

Sunset and twilight images are occasionally acquired by the science team to determine how high into the atmosphere the Martian dust extends, and to look for dust or ice clouds. Other images have shown that the twilight glow remains visible, but increasingly fainter, for up to two hours before sunrise or after sunset. The long Martian twilight (compared to Earth’s) is caused by sunlight scattered around to the night side of the planet by abundant high altitude dust. Similar long twilights or extra-colorful sunrises and sunsets sometimes occur on Earth when tiny dust grains that are erupted from powerful volcanoes scatter light high in the atmosphere.

Photo by: NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell

Image description: These images show a solar flare as observed on January 23. You can see the sun’s surface brighten as gas was superheated and magnetically supercharged. In the far right image, there is a stream of solar material flowing into space, likely solar protons and a coronal mass ejection.

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are not a danger to humans on Earth. The planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere deflect and absorb the energy. Sun storms can pose some risks to astronauts, and upset science, military, and communications satellites. 

Learn more about the recent sun flares.

Images courtesy of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory