The powerful M3.6 Class solar flare that blasted out of the solar surface on Feb. 24, 2011. Captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory from outer space, the giant solar flare kicked up a massive plasma wave that whirled and twisted for 90 minutes.

A normal solar prominence is a large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun's surface. However, NASA scientists dubbed the M3.6 Glass solar flare as a "monster prominence" due its spectacular display and giant size and intensity.