THE LARGEST SOLAR FLARE EVER CAPTURED IN THE LAST 7 YEARS

Beautiful auroras were caused by solar flares in early May, drawing the attention of many astronomy enthusiasts and the general public. But less than a week later, a solar flare that was invisible to the human eye became one of the strongest ever recorded. The auroras were produced by the same area of the Sun as this solar flare. For solar physicists who still have many unanswered questions about the functioning of solar weather, this is an interesting piece of data.

The flares that produced the stunning night skies were X1–X2.25, while the powerful flare was measured at X8.7. A Richter-style scale is used to rate solar flares. The letters A, B, C, M, or X are used on this scale, with X being the most potent. The number indicates the factor by which the flares exceed a 1 for that particular class. Hence, an X8 has eight times the power of an X1. Both flares were produced by the same sunspot area, AR3664, which is larger than 15 Earths in diameter. However, because it was now nearer the visible sun's edge, the stronger flare did not result in the same celestial display as its predecessors.

The most recent and intense flare of 2017 was initially measured by scientists as X8.2. They classified the flare as an X11.88 after reevaluating the picture. Put another way, there's a chance that the flare scheduled for May 14 will also be adjusted to a higher number. An X45 was thought to have been the most powerful flare ever measured in 2003. The flare on May 14th, even in the absence of an updated measurement, ranks among the top 20 most intense flares ever observed since the 1970s, when space-based telescopes made it possible to observe the Sun using soft X-rays.

The Sun releases bursts of energy known as solar flares when its magnetic fields wriggle. They occur more frequently and intensely during solar cycle maximums, which last for about 11 years. The strongest explosions in our solar system, flares can disrupt Earth's power and communication networks. Scientists are particularly keen to learn more about the solar cycle since solar weather affects infrastructure and space missions alike. Before the activity in May, the solar maximum was predicted to happen in July 2025. This suggests that, within the next year, there may still be a significant number of solar flares and, ideally, auroras.