Scientists have noticed a massive sunspot that has erupted six times recently, which has resulted in six solar flares. Four of the six solar flares are X-class, which denotes the most intense flares.
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) suggest that the sunspot, dubbed AR 12192, is the largest noticed from the Earth in the last few decades. The AR 12192 region is 0.24 percent of one side of the sun and is about 129,000 kilometers (km) across. The sunspot is massive and can accommodate around 10 Earths in it.
NASA also explains that X-class solar flares are the most intense flares. A number followed by X also provides more information on the strength of the flare. For example: an X2 flare is two times intense than an X1 and an X3-class flare is thrice as intense when compared to an X1-class flare.
"And then come the X-class flares. Although X is the last letter, there are flares more than 10 times the power of an X1, so X-class flares can go higher than 9. The most powerful flare measured with modern methods was in 2003, during the last solar maximum, and it was so powerful that it overloaded the sensors measuring it. The sensors cut out at X28," per NASA.
The AR 12192 started erupting on Oct. 19 and scientists observed the most intense flare on Monday, Oct. 27 classified as X2 flare, which peaked at 6:09 am EDT. Just about 10 hours earlier on Sunday, Oct. 26, the AR 12192 had already emitted an intense flare that peaked at 8:34 pm EDT. The last X2 flare was witnessed about 24 years back.
The solar flares usually spew magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Even though the solar flares can attack Earth's outmost atmosphere, most of the energy is normally reflected back in the space by the Earth's magnetic field. As the energy does not penetrate in the Earth's atmosphere, it does not influence the Earth's surface. Humans and other beings on the planet are safe due to any solar flares.
However, the solar flares can damage satellites and communication systems, which in result can disrupt GPS signals on the Earth. The solar flares can also affect the International Space Station (ISS) as well as aeroplanes as they usually affect the Earth's magnetic field. Till now, only minor disruptions have been reported to radio communications due to the latest solar flares.
Check out a short video clip about solar flares.
