Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) imagery of a massive eruption from the Sun, on 31st August 2012. The eruption occurred when a large filament ruptured, hurling a huge amount of charged plasma into space. Such events are known as coronal mass ejections (CME). This CME was not directed straight at Earth, but interactions between it and Earth's magnetic field still produced bright aurora when it arrived three days later. A large CME directed straight at Earth could severely damage electricity grid and communications. This timelapse footage was recorded by the SDO at wavelengths of 304 and 171 Angstroms, in the extreme ultraviolet range.