Scientists record impactful solar flare

A solar flare of the second-highest power class M was recorded on the Sun on February 13.

The Russian Federal State Budgetary Institution of the Institute of Applied Geophysics has recorded this latest developemt, Caliber.Az reports.

According to their report, an M1.0 flare lasting 8 minutes was registered in the X-ray range in sunspot group 3987 (S06W21) at 15:09 GMT+4. 

As Caliber.Az recalls, solar flares are divided into five classes depending on the power of X-ray radiation: A, B, C, M, and X. The minimum class A0.0 corresponds to radiation power of 10 nW per square meter at Earth's orbit. When moving to the next letter, the power increases by 10 times. Flares are typically accompanied by solar plasma ejections, whose clouds, upon reaching Earth, can trigger magnetic storms.

The American NASA defines solar flares as powerful bursts of energy which can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. When directed toward Earth, a solar storm can create a major disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field, called a geomagnetic storm.

By Nazrin Sadigova