Last night at 0200 UTC (10:00 pm ET) the Sun unleashed a an X1.7 flare! It was over the east limb (left edge of SDO images) from the viewpoint of SDO. NOAA places it at 15 degrees North latitude, meaning it is in the active region latitude band. Here is the EVE irradiance measurements showing the increase in solar output at wavelengths between 0.1 and 7 nm.
For a new view of a flare, here is the AIA 1600 channel for 0248 UTC 13-May-2013. It shows a nice set of loops rising over the flaring region, which is just over the limb. This channel measures C IV emissions. These loops are about 26 Mm (16 million miles) high, a little over twice the diameter of the Earth. They are visible about 21 minutes after the peak in the X-ray irradiance.
The same region has produced another X flare, this one an X2.8! I hope it keeps this up as it rotates into view.
