Our Sun released a massive solar flare aimed directly at our planet on March 11, the first super powerful flare of the year. The phenomenal eruption, which peaked at 12:22 pm EDT (1622 GMT), was captured on video by NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory.
The eruption originated from Active Region 12297 (AR12297), a sunspot that fired off flares of medium-strength over the course of the previous days. However, the solar flare released Wednesday is categorized as the strongest possible solar flare, a monstrous X-class. Colorado’s US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), commanded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that the event caused high-frequency radio communications to falter and created an area-wide blackout, which lasted about an hour. In the course of the past few days, after causing a series of R1 (Minor) and R2 (Moderate) Radio Blackouts, the flare was deemed the largest one produced thus far by the sunspot.
Solar flares release as much as 6 × 1025 of energy. In the classification set forth by scientists, solar flares have been categorized as C, M, and X. The strongest being X, weakest being C, and average being M. Compared to M flares, X flares are about 10 times more forceful. X2 and X3 are respectively twice and thrice as powerful as X flares. The fiery burst on Wednesday was classified as an X2.2 solar flare, so the force it released was massive.
Clouds of superheated plasma, known as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), normally accompany a solar flare. This plasma travels at incredible speeds of over a million miles per hour. However, it would take a fairly long time, about two days or three, to reach our planet, in contrast to radiation that takes just a few minutes. Power grids and satellite navigation systems may be unsettled by CMEs, especially if the flare is directed at the Earth itself.
Due to the three CMEs released by the Sun last Monday (March 9), a minor geomagnetic storm warning, was announced by SPWC, set for Friday (March 13) in anticipation of further disruption of radio signals and power grids.
Solar flares release very dangerous particles that can endanger every living organism, but Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere protect us from these particles. However, astronauts and spacecraft face these hazardous particles as they stream alongside solar winds. Geomagnetic storms triggered by CMEs have the potential to disable satellites and interfere with power grids.
