Solar system flare

What is a solar flare?

Solar flares are large explosions from the surface of the sun that emit intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. The intensity of the explosion determines what classification the flare belongs to. The most powerful are X-class flares, followed by M-, C- and B-class; A-class flares are the smallest.

How big are solar flares?

Flares tend to come from active regions on the Sun several times the size of Earth or more. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of a mid-level solar flare on March 11, 2015, seen as a bright flash of light on the left side of the Sun.

How do solar flares occur?

The occurrence of solar flares varies with the 11-year solar cycle. Solar flares are thought to occur when stored magnetic energy in the Sun's atmosphere accelerates charged particles in the surrounding plasma. This results in the emission of electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum.

What happens if a solar flare erupts?

The solar eruption triggered a geomagnetic storm on Earth, resulting in aurora borealis, or northern lights, that could be seen as far south as Florida and Cuba. Strong solar flares can a large release of plasma and magnetic field from the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection.

How do solar flares affect Earth?

Solar flares only affect Earth when they occur on the side of the Sun facing Earth. Solar flares are rated into different classes based on their strength, or energy output, and the effect a flare will have on Earth depends on what class it is (B, C, M, and X classes, with X being the most intense).

How does the X-class solar flare work?

Here’s how it works. The sun has just unleashed its most powerful solar flare this cycle, a colossal X-class eruption. The X9.05 solar flare peaked at 8:10 a.m. EDT (1210 GMT), triggering shortwave radio blackouts over Africa and Europe, the sunlit portion of Earth at the time of eruption.