x-class solar flare

Solar flares have been frequent in these past few months and as we move towards the solar maximum, the chances of solar storms striking Earth increase. Solar flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms can disrupt the power grid, shut down radio communications and even destroy satellites! A solar storm that is strong enough can even destroy the Internet. According to NASA, solar flares impact Earth only when they occur on the side of the sun facing Earth. Because flares are made of photons, they travel out directly from the…

The Sun has been showing all its might for the past couple of months and as we approach the solar maximum that will likely occur in 2025, its wrath is only expected to increase. For the unaware, solar maximum is the period of greatest solar activity during the Sun's 11-year cycle. At solar max, the changes in the Sun's magnetic field result in more solar activity such as sunspots, CMEs, eruptions, and more. The effects of this activity were seen on July 2 as the Sun hurled out a terrifying X-class solar flare.Solar flare…

Our Sun has a thin layer of second atmosphere that lies just above the photosphere as well as a huge corona. This is the region where we see most of the solar phenomena such as solar flares, prominences, and coronal mass ejections reactions, most of which can directly impact Earth. While Sun's energy is crucial for life to exist on Earth, its related solar phenomena can cause severe damage, especially to tech instruments. Just a few months ago, the worst solar storm in 6 years hit Earth when a menacing cloud of coronal…

Geomagnetic storms can wreak havoc on Earth as they have the power to destroy all the communications and electrical infrastructure on Earth and even the satellites up in the sky. And Earth has been, and is being, continuously bombarded by Geomagnetic storms, and not a single week has gone by without one incident of solar particles hitting our atmosphere recently. In fact, the year 2023 has been an eventful year for astronomers and skywatchers and you too should know what these storms are all about.So, do you know what…

The last ten days have been quite peaceful for the Earth. Solar activity has been at a minimum despite two active sunspots staring down at our planet. One of them, AR3315, is as large as 5 times the size of the Earth and was feared to explode producing an X-class solar flare. However, it did not and now the latest predictions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have revealed that much of the unstable magnetic field has decayed, and chances of an X-class flare no longer exist. However, there is…

Just 5 months into 2023, we have already witnessed damaging solar activity bombard the Earth. Just last month, a menacing cloud of coronal mass ejection, erupting from a sunspot that was 20 times wider than Earth, struck the planet and unleashed a horrifying solar storm. This was later declared the most devastating solar storm in 6 years. It was quite surprising and unexpected. Solar activity has been on the rise for the past few months, and it is expected to increase further until solar maximum, the period of greatest…

A dangerous sunspot has emerged on the Sun and it may have a significant effect on Earth! Just a few days ago, there was no sign of sunspot AR3315. However, according to SpaceWeather.com, it has now become the largest and most dangerous sunspot on the visible part of the Sun- the side facing the Earth at the moment. This sunspot, designated as AR3315, possesses a magnetic field classified as 'beta-gamma-delta,' which contains a considerable amount of energy capable of triggering powerful eruptions. For those who may not…

For the last three days, scientists have been looking at two dangerous sunspots that have been threatening the Earth with a potential X-class solar flare eruption, but luckily, they have not exploded yet. But one of them, sunspot AR3311, blasted an M1.9-class flare four days ago, as it was beginning to face the Earth. The coronal mass ejection (CME) from the eruption is now expected to hit our planet today, May 27, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This means another attack by these…

Last weekend, the NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite detected that a massive sunspot lurked on the farside of the Sun which was big enough to change the way the Sun vibrates. On its way to turning and facing the Earth, it exploded on Tuesday and released a nearly X-class solar flare that sparked radio blackouts in North America. Now, the gigantic sunspot is finally facing the Earth and researchers are concerned about the possibility of yet another major solar storm spell.As per a SpaceWeather.com…

Many astronomers have been surprised by the sudden increase in solar activity since the beginning of this year. We have witnessed a large number of solar flare eruptions, including multiple X-class flares, we have even seen G4-class geomagnetic storms hit Earth and solar winds have been moving extraordinarily fast. This was unusual because the peak of the ongoing Solar Cycle 25 was calculated to be in mid-2025, and by that standard, many feared this Solar Maximum could be one of the most intense ones on record. However,…