O Sunour star star, has just staged an impressive cosmic spectacle by triggering an X-class solar explosion, releasing a pulse of high-energy radiation.
This phenomenon was recorded on video by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) of NASAoffering a fascinating insight into the impressive power of the star that supports life in our solar system.
Most powerful solar flare in years
Sun releases its most powerful explosion since 2017 – Image: NASA/Reproduction
Currently, the Sun is immersed in Solar Cycle 25, an 11-year cycle of solar activity closely observed by scientists.
At the peak of these cycles, sunspots appear on the surface of the star, representing concentrations of energy.
The entanglement of magnetic lines in these patches can result in massive explosions known as solar flares.
According to NASAsolar bursts are classified into a system of letters by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), comprising categories A, B, C, M and X, which indicate the intensity of the X-rays released.
Class X, the most intense, is subdivided numerically to reflect the strength of the explosion.
The recent explosion, which occurred on Thursday afternoon (December 14) at 2:02 pm (Brasília time), was classified as X2.8, making it the most powerful solar eruption since September 2017, according to the SpaceWeather.com.
Solar flares often trigger coronal mass ejections (CMEs), projecting huge jets of solar plasma into space at millions of kilometers per hour.
Indications suggest that a CME was associated with this explosion, with a possible direction towards Earth.
Implications on Earth
The US Air Force reported a Type II solar radio burst, characteristic of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME).
Based on the drift rate of the radio burst, the speed of the emerging CME could exceed 2,100 km/s (4.7 million mph), warning of possible impacts on communications systems.
When CMEs reach Earth, they can generate geomagnetic storms capable of interfering with energy networks and infrastructures.
These storms also generate visual spectacles at the ends of the globe in the form of auroras.
Although Earth’s atmosphere protects us from harmful radiation from solar flares, their effects can affect modern technology by causing interference to radio signals. GPSon communication satellites and even causing radio blackouts.
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