The previously hidden sunspot unleashes a colossal X-class solar flare
A newly emerged sunspot is making its presence known, triggering a powerful X-class solar flare that caused shortwave radio blackouts across the South Pacific.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a massive solar flare on Thursday (January 5) at 19:45 EST (0045 GMT on January 6). The explosion blew up a dome of glowing plasma that stayed above sunspot AR3182 for over an hour, seconds Spaceweather.com (opens in a new tab). For … fault the sunWith rotation, the lively sunspot will soon face Earth and could continue its explosive activity in the coming days.
Solar flares are classified by size into letter groups, with class X being the most powerful. Within each class, numbers 1 through 10 (and beyond, for Class X flares) denote the relative strength of a flare. The recent flare was recorded at X1.2, a relatively weak example of the most powerful class.
AR3182 has also been linked the violent eruption on Tuesday (January 3) which he sent to coronal mass ejection (CME), a giant cloud of magnetized plasma hurtling into space. At the time, the sunspot was hidden on the far side of the sun, so the eruption posed no danger to land.
Related: A giant plasma cloud erupts from the sun, but luckily it won’t reach Earth
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Solar flares occur when magnetic energy builds up in the solar atmosphere and is released in an intense burst of electromagnetic radiation. More powerful, M- and X-class flares can cause minor to extensive radio blackouts on the sun-facing side of Earth at the time of flare.
That’s exactly what happened when the recent X1.2 class solar flare sent a strong pulse of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation toward Earth. Traveling to speed of lightthe radiation reached Earth in just over eight minutes and ionized the upper layer of earth’s atmosphere – the thermosphere – causing a shortwave radio blackout across the South Pacific.
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According to Spaceweather.com, so far, no CMEs have been observed leaving the area after the large eruption.
Solar activity is increasing as part solar cycle 25, which scientists predict will peak in 2025. To find out if there’s a solar flare today and keep up with the latest space time findings, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center (opens in a new tab) to view the latest solar X-ray data from the agency’s GOES weather satellites located over the eastern and western US
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