Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A Large Tsunami Shock Wave on the Sun

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 22, 2022 is “A Large Tsunami Shock Wave on the Sun,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NSO / AURA / NSF and USAF Research Laboratory. The original explanation runs about 142 words.

The featured image is a very short video showing the Sun's surface reacting to a large solar flare. The result is a large circular shockwave that begins to circle the Sun. The image was taken by the Optical Solar Patrol Network telescope in
Credit: Image Credit: NSO / AURA / NSF and USAF Research Laboratory Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Tsunamis this large don’t happen on Earth. During 2006, a large solar flare from an Earth-sized sunspot produced a tsunami -type shock wave that was spectacular even for the Sun.”

— APOD editors, May 22, 2022

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 22, 2022
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NSO / AURA / NSF and USAF Research Laboratory
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 142 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: May 22 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.