Wow! This is so interesting...
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft captured a solar flare in multiple wavelengths of light. The X-class solar flare is the most powerful category of sun storm.
"Given the impulsive nature of this event, as well as
the source location on the eastern limb of the sun, we are not expecting a
radiation storm at Earth," scientists with the U.S. Space Weather
Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. Despite the radio blackouts, the
blast is unlikely to cause major issues here on Earth, researchers said.
CMEs are massive clouds of solar particles rocketed into
space at millions of miles per hour. Solar flares, by contrast, are blasts of
high-energy radiation. CMEs that hit Earth can trigger geomagnetic storms that
can disrupt power grids and satellite navigation.
Scientists classify strong solar flares into three
categories: C (weakest), M (mid-level) and X (the most powerful). X flares are
10 times more potent than M flares. Wednesday's outburst clocked in at X2.7,
outranking the previous flare champion of 2015 — an X2.2 storm that erupted
March 11 from a sunspot known as AR12297.
There could be more sun-storm action coming soon, SWPC
researchers said.
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