Sun emits strong solar flare; NASA observatory captures event

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this image of a strong solar flare emitted by the Sun on October 2, 2022. The flare, which peaked at 4:25 p.m. EDT is classified as an X1 flare, which denotes the most intense flare.

The picture shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares (orange).

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy that can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and crew onboard the space station. They are classified according to their strength - the smallest ones are A-class, followed by B, C, M and X, the largest.

According to NASA, the Sun emitted 3 solar flares, 18 coronal mass ejections, and 1 geomagnetic storm in the past week.

#SunDay Space weather this past week has included 3 solar flares, 18 coronal mass ejections, and 1 geomagnetic storm. The following is an image from the last week of the Sun's activity, as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory. pic.twitter.com/m4M9o8srR3

— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 2, 2022

Our Sun is currently moving towards solar maximum - the period when it is most active - in 2025. At the peak of the cycle or solar maximum, Sun's magnetic poles reverse, producing a greater number of sunspots, more energy and causing solar eruptions of particles.

NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun's activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.

Launched in 2010, the agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory provides never-before-seen views of the Sun. Using a suite of instruments, the spacecraft studies how solar activity is created and drives space weather, help the scientific community understand the star we live with.