Twin X-Class Flares: NASA Captures Epic Solar Showdown

Science, Space and Technology News 2024

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in the bright flash on the right – on May 15, 2024. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares and which is colorized in teal. Credit: NASA/SDO’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which continually monitors the Sun, captured images of two powerful X-class solar flares. The first was classified as an X3.4 class flare and peaked at 4:37 a.m. ET.

The impact on Earth primarily involves the interaction of solar radiation with Earth’s magnetic field, which can lead to geomagnetic storms. These storms can disrupt technology and infrastructure and expose astronauts and high-altitude flights to higher levels of radiation. Solar flares are categorized by their intensity in the X-ray wavelengths, ranging from class A to class X . Each class has a tenfold increase in energy output, and within each class, a finer scale from 1 to 9 further distinguishes the flare’s strength. X-class flares are the largest explosions in the solar system and can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms.

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