The sun recently released the strongest solar flare in nearly five years
Late Tuesday the sun released a powerful side flare. The eruption occurred from the location of the sun on the western limb of our local planet and represents the most powerful solar eruption seen since 2017.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory observed the blast at 8:57 p.m. PT conducts radio blackouts for Asia-specific specific shortwave, aviation and other communications.
Flair was classified as X2.2. X-class flares are the strongest range measured by scientists, and the higher number after X indicates an increase in blast strength. NASA recorded some X1 Flares last year, but this is the strongest since the Sun blew a pair of Monster X-Class Flares with the X9 in the second week of September 2017.
In 2003, more intense flares than the X28 were seen so far.
The latest eruption involves coronal mass ejection, which is a charged plasma that travels slowly and can form a massive aurora when it collides with the earth’s magnetic field. But since the explosion was located on the Sun’s side from Earth’s point of view, the particles were not aimed at us and would not collide with our planet.
The energy emitted by the flare, on the other hand, travels at the speed of light and is transmitted in all directions throughout the solar system, so a radio blackout can appear to ignite at the same time.
The Big Bang is the latest indication that our current solar cycle is heating up. Our star typically passes through a regular period of high sunspot and flare activity every decade. We are currently heading for a peak of activity by mid-2020.
Our magnetosphere prevents radioactive eruptions from harming life on Earth’s surface, but it also threatens our satellites, communications systems, space astronauts, and even the ground power grid.
Flares have caused massive blackouts in recent decades, but for the first time we are reaching the pinnacle of solar activity with thousands of new satellites in orbit. Earlier this year, SpaceX reported that Flair had originally sunk several of its Starlink satellites.
