On September 14, 2024, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory observed that the sun released a powerful solar flare. The flare was classified as an X4.5 flare and peaked at 11:29 a.m. Eastern Time. The X rating represents the most intense flare, and the number provides more information about its intensity. High-energy bursts of this intensity can damage communication systems, power grids, and navigation signals, posing huge risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

On September 14, 2024, the sun erupted with an X4.5 solar flare. Image source: NASA/SDOOn September 14, 2024, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare - the bright light near the center of the image. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light, which highlights the extremely hot material in the flare and is colored gold and red. Image source: NASA/SDO

Solar flares are powerful pulses of radiation from the sun that can be observed as bright spots on the star's surface. These events are caused by the sudden release of magnetic energy stored in the sun's atmosphere. Solar flares vary in intensity and have varying impacts on the Earth, ranging from interfering with polar sky displays to severely disrupting communications and navigation systems.

Solar flares are divided into five main categories based on their X-ray brightness: A, B, C, M and X: Each category is further divided into levels 1 to 9, which helps quantify their intensity more precisely. However, the intensity of Class X flares may exceed this level, indicating that the flare is particularly powerful and may trigger a series of geomagnetic storms and radiation pulses, causing potential harm to satellites and astronauts.


Artist's concept of the SDO satellite orbiting the Earth. Source: NASA

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is a mission dedicated to observing the sun and its various activities. SDO was launched on February 11, 2010, as part of NASA's Living with the Stars (LWS) program, which aims to understand the causes of changes in the sun and their impact on Earth. The main goal of SDO is to monitor the impact of the sun on the Earth and near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere at multiple wavelengths.

It provides high-resolution images of the Sun at 13 different wavelengths, each highlighting aspects of solar activity such as flares, sunspots and magnetic fields. This rich data helps scientists improve space weather forecasts to help protect satellites and other space-based technologies.

Compiled from /scitechdaily