X-class solar flare observed on 18 January 2026 Composite view of the solar flare and its associated Coronal Mass Ejection erupting on 18 January 2026. This GIF combines observations of the Sun across three different wavelengths (121 Å, 193 Å, 204 Å). The images were obtained by the AIA instrument onboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and combined using ESA's JHelioViewer. | ESA - European Space Agency

Coronal Mass Ejection erupts from the Sun on 18 January 2026 (blue-red GIF) This GIF shows a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) leaving the Sun at high speed and heading towards Earth on 18 January 2026. The GIF combines data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (Sun disk) with coronagraph images acquired using the LASCO instrument onboard the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. This 'halo' CME appears to grow radially outwards from the Sun in all directions, indicating tha