Sun unleashes most powerful flare in current cycle

Solar flares and eruptions can disrupt radio communications, power grids, and navigation signals and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

Giant active sunspot

The outburst was the most intense flare in the current solar cycle, surpassing any strength since the significant X8.2 explosion 2017.

The culprit behind this solar activity is the giant sunspot region designated AR 3590.

Many X-class flares erupted over 24 hours, the most powerful of which was the X6.3.

AR 3590 also caused two more large flares: an X1.8 on February 21 at 6:07 pm EST and an X1.7 on February 22 at 1:32 am EST.

According to Spaceweather.com, this sunspot region is rotating toward the center of the Sun’s disk. This indicates that this active region may unleash more Earth-directed eruptions in the coming days. 

The report states that the intense ultraviolet radiation emitted by each flare led to the ionization of the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. 

This phenomenon resulted in shortwave radio blackouts over Hawaii (occurring late on February 21), Australia (early on February 22), and Hawaii once again (late on February 22). Moreover, mariners and ham radio operators in these regions may have observed a signal loss across all frequencies below 30 MHz.

Remarkably, SOHO coronagraphs detected that none of these flares ejected a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth.

CMEs often accompany flares, propelling massive clouds of heated plasma into space at astonishing speeds.

X-class flares, at their most intense, have the potential to trigger widespread communications blackouts and damage satellites. Fortunately, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UK Met Office assure that the recent flare activity poses no direct threat to Earth.

“Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on Feb. 25th when a CME is expected graze Earth’s magnetic field. The CME was *not* produced by this week’s X-flares. Instead, it was hurled into space by an erupting filament of magnetism on Feb. 21st,” Spaceweather.com mentioned. 

Sun’s Solar Cycle 25

This behavior is part of the Sun’s natural activity cycle, with periodic shifts occurring approximately every 11 years when its magnetic field reverses polarity.

Solar phenomena such as sunspots, solar flares, and other solar events exhibit variability throughout the solar cycle. This cycle substantially impacts space weather and the planets within our solar system.

The solar cycle comprises two primary phases: the maximum and minimum. In the solar maximum phase, the Sun undergoes heightened activity, characterized by an upsurge in sunspots and solar flares. 

Back-to-back flares signal an escalation in solar activity as Solar Cycle 25 approaches its zenith.