Just as you were starting to think, “The sun has been quiet lately,” an explosive X-class solar flare, the most powerful class of solar flare, occurred, silencing the critics.
of Solar flare The quake from sunspot AR3738 occurred late Saturday night (July 13th). July 14, 10:34 PM EDT (0234 UT) ) and NASA Solar Observation Satellite A dynamic scene captured from space.
Unfortunately for aurora chasers, this short-lived flare Coronal mass ejection (CME)—A massive ejection of plasma and magnetic field Sun .
Related: Solar maximum is approaching, but when will it arrive (and when will we know)?
Solar physicist Keith Strong has been monitoring the recent eruptions for signs of a CME, and his latest research suggests that: Post to X “Geographical activity is unlikely due to high solar activity.”
However, the flare caused shortwave radio blackouts across Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan immediately after the eruption, a common occurrence following powerful solar flares due to the intense bursts of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation emitted during the event.
Shortwave radio blackouts across Southeast Asia, Australia and Japan. (Image courtesy of NOAA/SWPC)
Radiation from solar flares Earth in Speed of Light Upon arrival, they ionize (charge) the upper atmosphere. This ionization creates a denser environment through which high-frequency shortwave radio signals can pass, facilitating long-distance communication. When radio waves interact, Electronic In the ionization layer, energy is lost due to increased collisions, Break down or completely absorb Radio signal.
On July 13, 2024, the Sun emitted an X-class solar flare. (Images courtesy of NASA/SDO and AIA, EVE, HMI Science Team, helioviewer.org)
Solar flares are explosions that emit powerful electromagnetic waves from the surface of the Sun. These flares occur when magnetic energy built up in the Sun’s atmosphere is released. Flares are classified into classes according to their size, with X-class flares being the most powerful. M-class flares are 10 times stronger than X-class flares, followed by C-class flares, which are 10 times stronger than M-class flares. B-class flares are 10 times stronger than C-class flares, and finally A-class flares are 10 times stronger than B-class flares, No noticeable impact on Earth Within each class, a number from 1 to 10 (or higher for X-class flares) represents the relative strength of the flare.
The most recent solar flare outburst on July 14th recorded an X-1.27 magnitude. Space Weather Live .