The Halo coronal mass ejection (CME) as viewed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory coronograph. Credit: NASA/SOHO

(Â鶹ÒùÔºOrg.com) -- Late in the evening on June 20 the sun emitted a long lasting C7.7 small class flare that peaked around 11:25p.m. EDT. A C-class flare is a relatively small flare.

The flare was associated with a (CME) that bloomed off the sun at 11:09p.m. EDT (0412 UT). The movie shown above was captured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft.

These 3D Heliospheric animated models, developed by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center based at the Goddard Space Flight Center, show how the CME cloud might appear as it sweeps past Earth. Credit: NASA/CCMC

Preliminary modeling shows the CME to be moving in Earth's direction at almost 500 mph (800 km/s). Geomagnetic effects and possible auroras on Earth should be moderate, appearing on June 23.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this video of the C7 flare in extreme unltraviolet wavelength at 335 Ĺ. Credit: NASA/SDO

Source: JPL/NASA