Pictured: The glittering flare of a solar storm - seven times the size of Earth - which is raging across the sun's surface

By Ted Thornhill and Eddie Wrenn

PUBLISHED: 10:28 GMT, 14 May 2012 | UPDATED: 13:19 GMT, 14 May 2012

The fear that a solar storm may erupt and disrupt the Earth's electrical grids is a legitimate one, but until that day arrives, we can sit back and enjoy the view.

This is an image taken by NASA of the sun erupting on Wednesday, May 9th, with a solar flare appearing almost like a sparkling diamond glittering on the surface of our star.

A flare is caused when the sun's electromagnetic field twists and bends, shooting out a mind-bogglingly hot - around 100,000,000C - burst of energy particles into space.

Luckily, this flare was short-lived, with no 'coronal mass ejections', so NASA is not expecting any geomagnetic storms on Earth.

FULL STORY & VIDEO: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2144106/Pictured-The...