Sun unleashes powerful solar flare, Nasa says [View all]

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Source: The Independent

Wednesday 06 November 2024 16:00 GMT


The Sun has unleashed a powerful solar flare, Nasa has said. The flare, designated X2.3, belongs to the most intense X class of flares. It was spotted by Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which is constantly monitoring the surface of the Sun in part to spot such events.

Solar flares are strong blasts of energy that come out of the Sun and can cause danger to life on Earth. They bring the northern and southern lights, but can also cause problems for communications systems, electrical grids and other important infrastructure.

The Sun is currently entering the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, during which such solar weather is likely to increase. Experts have repeatedly warned that a particularly strong solar flare could damage critical parts of the infrastructure on which life depends.

Flares of this strength are “generally not common, although not necessarily unusual” when the Sun is at its solar maximum, as it is now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center said.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/space/sun-solar-flare-nasa-b2642507.html