The biggest solar flare seen for 12 years erupted from the sun earlier this week, causing radio blackouts on Earth.
Two high-intensity solar flares were emitted, the second of which was the most intense recorded since 2005, the Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) said.
Now, NASA has revealed the storms are continuing, with what the space agency says is a ‘mid-level solar flare’ that peaked at 3:49 a.m. EDT today.
Flare number six: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of an M8.1 solar flare, as seen in the bright area on the right, on Sept. 8, 2017. The image is a blend of extreme ultraviolet light in the 131 and 171 angstrom wavelengths.
This is the sixth sizable flare from the same active region since Sept. 4, NASA said.
It is expected to cause auroras to be visible over northeast America, and aurora has been seen as low as Alabama and northern California
The earlier flares knocked out radio communications for one hour on the Earth’s side facing the sun, as well as low-frequency communications used in navigation.
According to the NOAA’s space weather prediction center, ‘G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm levels were observed at 2350 UTC (19:50 Eastern) on 07 September, again at 0151 UTC (21:51 Eastern) on 08 September and 1304 UTC (09:04 Eastern) due to effects from a coronal mass ejection.
‘A G3 (Strong) or greater warning continues to be in effect until 1500 UTC (11:00 Eastern) on 08 September. ‘
Experts say that a coronal mass ejection (CME) triggered by the flares will likely arrive in the next 1-2 days, and that this could damage satellites, communications and power systems on Earth.
The CME could also trigger a series of stunning Northern Lights appearences across Earth’s northern hemisphere.
At 10:10 am BST (5:10 am ET) on Wednesday an X-class solar flare – the most-powerful sun flare category – erupted from a large sunspot on the solar surface.
The NOAA issued solar storm warnings for the event, which could cause blackouts on earth
THE SIX SOLAR FLARES
The latest flare is classified as an M8.1 flare, and is a ‘mid-level solar flare’ that peaked at 3:49 a.m. EDT today.
At 10:10 am BST (5:10 am ET) on Wednesday an X-class solar flare – the most-powerful sun flare category – erupted from a large sunspot on the solar surface.
The flare, an X2.2, was the strongest since 2015, but just three hours later it was dwarfed by an X9.3 flare, the last of which occurred in 2006, at X9.0.
The second of the two flares is the largest in 12 years, after an X17 that erupted from the solar surface in 2005.
The flares knocked out radio communications for one hour on the Earth’s side facing the sun, as well as low-frequency communications used in navigation.
Solar flares result from an accumulation of magnetic energy. A hole in the outermost layer of the sun opens the magnetic field up to stretch further than usual, which results in a gradual increase in solar wind. Pictured is a Nasa image of yesterday’s second, larger flare
The sun also emitted two mid-level solar flares on Sept. 7, 2017.
The first peaked at 6:15 a.m. EDT. The second, larger flare, peaked at 10:36 a.m. EDT.
These are the fourth and fifth sizable flares from the same active region since Sept. 4.
The sun also emitted two significant solar flares on the morning of Sept. 6, 2017. The first peaked at 5:10 a.m. EDT and the second, larger flare, peaked at 8:02 a.m. EDT.
The flare, an X2.2, was the strongest since 2015, but just three hours later it was dwarfed by an X9.3 flare, the largest since 2006, at X9.0.
The second of the two flares is the largest in 12 years, after an X17 that erupted from the solar surface in 2005.
These radiation flares, which can disrupt communications satellites, GPS and power grids, were detected and captured by Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite.
The two eruptions occurred in an active region of the sun where an eruption of mid-level intensity occurred on September 4.
The current cycle of the sun, which began in December 2008, saw the intensity of solar activity decline sharply, opening the way to a ‘solar minimum.’
The biggest solar flare seen for 12 years erupted from the sun yesterday, causing radio blackouts on Earth. Two high-intensity solar flares were emitted in total, both captured by Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite in this animation (credit: Nasa)
Solar cycles last on average eleven years, and at the end of the active phase, these eruptions become increasingly rare – but they still can be powerful.
Solar flares result from an accumulation of magnetic energy in some places.
A hole in the outermost layer of the sun opens the magnetic field up to stretch further than usual, which results in a gradual increase in solar wind.
During larger solar flares, the sun can also fire out a cloud of energetic plasma in an event called a coronal mass ejection (CME). Yesterday’s category X eruptions triggered a massive coronal mass ejection (pictured), which was also captured by SDO (credit: Nasa)
The wind fires out jets of ionised matter that are projected hundreds of thousands of kilometres outward at high speed.
During larger solar flares, the sun can also fire out a cloud of energetic plasma in an event called a coronal mass ejection (CME).
Yesterday’s category X eruptions triggered a massive coronal mass ejection, which was also captured by SDO.
The category X eruptions (pictured) knocked out high-frequency radio communications for one hour on the Earth’s side facing the sun, the Space Weather Prediction Centre (SWPC) said. They also disrupted low-frequency communications used in navigation
The biggest flares (pictured) are known as ‘X-class flares’ based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength. The smallest ones are A-class – near background levels – followed by B, C, M and X
‘It was accompanied by radio emissions that suggest there’s a potential for a CME,’ SWPC space scientist Rob Steenburgh told Space.com.
‘However, we have to wait until we get some coronagraph imagery that would capture that event for a definitive answer.’
The biggest flares are known as ‘X-class flares’ based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength.
The smallest ones are A-class – near background levels – followed by B, C, M and X.
Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a 10-fold increase in energy output, so an X is ten times an M and 100 times a C.
Within each letter class there is a finer scale from one to nine.
These radiation flares, which can disrupt communications satellites, GPS and power grids, were detected and captured by Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite (artist’s impression)
Solar flares and CMEs (pictured) can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost. Astronauts are not in immediate danger because of the relatively low orbit of manned missions. They do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks
If it reaches our planet, radiation ejected by solar flares can knock out radio and GPS communications because it disrupts Earth’s magnetic field.
Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies.
Astronauts are not in immediate danger because of the relatively low orbit of manned missions.
They do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks.