The sun’s biggest solar explosion in seven years took place on Thursday, with a flare eruption not being this enormous since 2017.
The previous flurry of flares from seven years ago caused radio blackouts for outs, as experts warn the radiation directed at Earth could impact GPS, and power grids or even pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. However, the strong explosion could also cause an extreme space weather event and cause more intense auroras in the sky.
A new photo of the strong flare has been released by NASA‘s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the star all the time. It managed to capture the event at the exact moment it happened, and it looks the same as a camera flash.
READ NEXT: Giant cavity left behind after one of the most powerful eruptions ever from black hole
Solar flares are enormous eruptions of energy, flares and explosions can impact navigation signals, radio communications and other means.
The latest flare, which peaked at 5.34 pm on February 22, has been classified as an X6.3 flare. X-Class describes the most intense flares, while the number that follows denotes its strength.
Typically, scientists describe the strength of solar flares by allocating a letter and a number (from A, B, C, M and X or from 1 to 9).
With the latest solar flare being classified as an X-flare, it could trigger long-lasting radiation storms in the upper atmosphere.
READ NEXT: NASA is looking for candidates for 12-month simulated Mars mission
However, it’s not as big as the flares that erupted back in 2017, which were X9.3 and X8.2. It was later found they damaged radio communications during emergency response efforts after a hurricane in the Caribbean.
But this week’s flare is the largest of three that have erupted over the space of a week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The previous two were X1.8 and X1.7, so not as powerful as yesterday’s, but still an X-class. Generally, it takes two days for the flare particles to reach our planet, according to Royal Museums Greenwich. When they arrive, they may unleash particles in vibrant colored lights in the sky, similar to aurora borealis.
NOAA explains the latest flare is the largest so far during the current solar cycle – the cycle which the sun’s magnetic field goes through every 11 years or so. After this time has passed, it flips, and the north and south poles of the star switch places.
The current solar cycle of the sun, 25, began in 2019 and is expected to last until 2030 before switching again.
NASA says the amount of activity on the surface of the sun changes when the magnetic fields flip. It says one way to track the current cycle is to count the number of sunspots on the surface.
The beginning of the sun’s solar cycle is called the solar minimum, when there are the least amount of spots, and over time it increases. The middle of the cycle is called the solar maximum, when it has the most, and as it reaches towards the end, it fades back into the solar minimum.
READ NEXT: Glowing cosmic cloud appears as giant exoplanets collide sparking 500-day eclipse
