On Tuesday, the sun erupted with its most powerful flare in almost two decades, just days after a series of severe solar storms battered Earth. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) described the event as the strongest flare of the current 11-year solar cycle, which is nearing its peak. While Earth narrowly escaped the direct impact of the flare, it’s a testament to the volatile nature of the sun and its potential effects on our planet and space-based assets.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the intense flash of the X-ray flare, rating it as X8.7 on the scale for these events. According to Bryan Brasher of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the flare’s true strength may be even greater once data from other sources is analyzed.
The flare followed a week of intense solar activity, including numerous flares and coronal plasma ejections. These events can disrupt power and communications systems on Earth and in space. NOAA noted that an ejection associated with Tuesday’s flare appeared to be directed away from Earth, but analysis is still ongoing.
NASA reported that the weekend geomagnetic storm caused an environmental satellite to unexpectedly rotate due to reduced altitude, forcing it into a protective safe mode. At the International Space Station, the seven astronauts were instructed to stay in areas with strong radiation shielding. However, NASA emphasized that the crew was never in any danger.
