NASA reports a massive solar flare has erupted on the Sun, releasing a large amount of radiation energy, and the entire event was captured on video by a spacecraft.
The space agency released images Thursday, which NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center called the largest solar flare since Sept. 10, 2017.
The flare was reported as an X2.8, which is among the most intense events and sent a burst of radiation hurtling toward Earth. Space experts classify flares according to strength, with the smallest being known as B-class, followed by C, M and finally, X-class.
Within each category, numbers are assigned to events that help determine its scale. This means the 2.8 is on the low end of a strong event.
The strongest solar flare in recorded history is believed to have been an X45, which occurred in 2003, but most X-class events rank between 1 and 9.
SPWC said the most recent event was strong enough to cause some high-frequency radio blackouts on Earth. Federal agencies described the event as “one of largest solar radion events ever recorded” and even said there was significant radio communication interference with aircraft.
