THIS is the incredible moment a massive solar flare capable of knocking out power explodes from the sun.
The powerful solar flare triggered a wave of radio black outs across South America, Africa and the Southern Atlantic.
The NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun, released footage showing a bright light on the lower right side.
Researchers spotted the solar phenomenon today at 8.10 am.
The phenomenon is classified as an X3.3 flare – which is considered among the strongest types.
X-class solar flares are the most intense and they can cause a monstrous burst of radiation.
Experts said the solar flare was caused by an eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the sun’s atmosphere.
This occurs when accelerated charged particles collide with the plasma medium.
Solar flares cannot travel far enough to hurt humans on Earth, but they can cause blackouts and other electricity-related disruptions.
This blast could affect frequencies used in spacecraft, weather station and radio services.
The solar flare erupted from sunspot AR3576 which is the same one that caused a massive blast just days ago.
The sun’s fury caused blackouts in Australia and South Asia when an explosion released a massive plume on Tuesday.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reported more communication disruptions in the coming days.
CLASSIFYING SOLAR FLARES
X-class solar flares are the most intense and typically send a burst of radiation heading toward Earth.
Astronomers classify solar flares by their X-ray energy using four different letters: B, C, M, and X, Nasa said.
C-class flares produce 10 times more X-ray energy than B-class flares.
M-class flares produce 10 times more energy than C-class flares, and X-class flares produce 10 times more energy than M-class flares.
A single B-class flare can produce more energy than 240,000 million tons of TNT.
Nasa reports that the event is the strongest scientists have observed since 2017.
Science Alert said the event has already produced a moderate radio blackout centered in South America.
During the event, the sun also produced a coronal mass ejection or CME.
CMEs are intense eruptions of charged particles from the sun’s upper atmosphere or corona.
However, because this solar flare was not directly facing Earth, the mild blackout may be the extent of what we see.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
