NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare — seen as the bright flash in the centre – on Oct. 3, 2024. The image shows subsets of extreme ultraviolet light that highlight the extremely hot material in flares and which are colourized in red and gold. (Image and Caption: NASA)
The Sun unleashed a powerful X9.0 solar flare, one of the strongest types of flares, on Friday.
The Sun emitted a powerful solar flare, peaking at 5:48 pm (IST), on Friday. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which continuously monitors the Sun, captured a high-resolution image of the event during its peak.
This flare is classified as an X9.0 flare. X-class flares represent the strongest category of solar flares.
A report by the UK-based Independent said the powerful solar flare could cause disruption on Earth.
According to NASA, solar flares are ‘powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts’.
This year saw increased solar activity that led to intense space weather events. In May of this year, Earth experienced a series of the most intense solar storms in decades, producing auroras visible in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
The Sun released a slightly less powerful but still strong solar flare on Wednesday, the US Space Weather Prediction Center said, causing radio blackouts and other effects.
The Sun follows an approximately 11-year cycle of fluctuating activity. Currently, it is nearing the peak of this cycle, expected next year, which will likely bring heightened activity and more frequent solar flares like this one.
Thursday’s flare could be the most powerful flare to have been released in this solar cycle.
