THE SUN has just ejected the strongest solar flare scientists have seen in years.
On December 14, an active sunspot region dubbed AR 3514 erupted in a class X2.8 solar flare.
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WHAT ARE SOLAR FLARES?
A solar flare is a term astronomers use to describe eruptions of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun’s atmosphere.
This occurs when accelerated charged particles (mainly electrons) collide with the plasma medium.
Solar flares cannot travel far enough to hurt humans on Earth, but they can cause blackouts and other electricity-related disruptions.
This can include impacting radio communications, electric power grids, and navigation signals.
Solar flare eruptions can also pose a risk to spacecraft and astronauts on the Internation Space Station (ISS).
On a lighter note, they can lead to stunning auroral displays on Earth – known as the Northern Lights.
CLASSIFYING SOLAR FLARES
X-class solar flares are the most intense and typically send a burst of radiation heading toward Earth.
Astronomers classify solar flares by their X-ray energy using four different letters: B, C, M, and X, Nasa said.
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C-class flares produce 10 times more X-ray energy than B-class flares.
M-class flares produce 10 times more energy than C-class flares, and X-class flares produce 10 times more energy than M-class flares.
A single B-class flare can produce more energy than 240,000 million tons of TNT.
Nasa reports that the event is the strongest scientists have observed since 2017.
Science Report said the event has already produced a moderate radio blackout centered in South America.
During the event, the Sun also produced a coronal mass ejection, or CME.
CMEs are intense eruptions of charged particles from the Sun’s upper atmosphere or Corona.
However, because this solar flare was not directly facing Earth that mild blackout may be the extent of what we see .
