In the last 24 hours, the sun emitted two M-class solar flares and one X-class flare. On the scale used to classify solar flares, X-class are the most intense, and M-class is one level below that. This comes on the heels of several other large outbursts.
The Sun emitted a moderate solar flare on May 4, 2022, peaking at 5:00 a.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. This flare is classified as an M-class flare.
The Sun emitted a moderate solar flare on May 3, 2022, peaking at 8:19 p.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. This flare is classified as an M-class flare. M-class flares are a class below the most intense flares, the X-class flares.
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare on May 3, 2022, peaking at 9:25 a.m. EDT. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. This flare is classified as an X-class flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, and navigation signals. They also pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. More info on how flares are classified can be found here.
Please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts, to see how such space weather may affect Earth. NASA serves as the nation’s space weather research arm. NASA constantly monitors the Sun and our space environment with a network of spacecraft that investigate everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, as well as the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.
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