The sun has released its biggest flares in two decades. This is how it is seen from space

The past few weeks have been marked by unusual space weather activity. Last Friday the 10th we are living in a solar storm this brought auroras to latitudes where they are rare, and on Tuesday the 14th the Sun emitted the largest “flare” seen in this cycle.

In addition to solar flares, the Sun also emits matter during these days in the form of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). It was one of these events that caused the storm on the 10th.

According to the US space agency NASA, this storm was the strongest in two decades. Its auroras are estimated to be the most intense in the last 500 years.

“We will be studying this event for many years,” said Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla, acting director of NASA’s Space Weather Analysis Office. “It will help us test the limits of our models and understanding solar storms.”

During these troubled days, NASA monitored the health of the Sun here on Earth through the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) was responsible for warning about possible adverse effects of these events.

NASA’s eyes have a name: the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This space observatory constantly monitors the Sun to warn us of events like these weeks. The probe was launched in 2010 and has since served as an “outpost” for solar events.

It was this observatory that sent us hypnotic images of solar activity. Among these images we can see various flashes. Solar flares flashes of electromagnetic radiation exiled by our star. They travel at the speed of light, so it is impossible to predict their arrival on our planet.

In the first days of May we were able to see important outbreaks. The photo in the photo was taken on May 2. In the following days, from May 3 to May 9, 82 such “flares” were filmed.

However, it was this week, on the 14th, that the observatory recorded the most intense flare observed during the 25th solar cycle. This is what we see in the second image. His rating on the scale was X8.7.

To these flares we must add the huge CME that caused the auroras last Friday the 10th. These emissions, unlike “flares,” release charged particles. On the one hand, they spread more slowly than flares, on the other hand, their impact on Earth is more intense.

When we talk about solar storms, we are talking about the effects that these events cause in the atmosphere and on the surface of our planet. Although flares reaching Earth can cause problems in radio communications, the outbursts are often associated with solar storms.

Auroras occur when charged particles ejected from the Sun deflected by the protective shield of our planet: magnetosphere. This magnetic field deflects particles: some into space, others are captured and end up in the polar regions. When they collide with gases in our atmosphere, they cause them to emit light, causing auroras.

This is all part of the solar peak of the 25th solar cycle. Solar activity waxes and wanes more or less regularly, with cycles lasting approximately 11 years. We are currently approaching the peak intensity point of Cycle 25, so events of this type are not completely strange or anomalous.

To date, we have not had to deal with high intensity solar storms. can create serious problems in communication networks and electronic devices. However, experts continue to pay attention to the situation on the Sun, because prevention is always better.

In Hatak | The “Lashamsa Event” when the Earth’s poles switched places and caused the collapse of our magnetic shield.

Cover image | NASA/SDO