NASA released video of something you don't see every day: A solar flare up close and personal.

This video was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on April 17.

It shows an active region on the sun's right side, releasing a mid-level solar flare.

The video was recorded in several wavelengths of extreme UV light which is normally invisible to our eyes.

NASA color-coded the images for easy viewing.

Scientists study these areas of the sun to better understand why they sometimes erupt with flares.