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Around five solar flares have been released by the Sun in the last two weeks. Their range was from moderate to strong.  

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With the help of its Solar Dynamics Observatory, US space agency NASA managed to take an amazing photo of a solar flare on April 30.  

Wondering what a solar flare is? Well, it is a sudden release of magnetic energy, which can be seen on the upper right part of the image.  

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In an Instagram post, NASA, said, "The Sun emits solar flares occasionally, though they don’t always impact humans on Earth."  

Since April 19, out of the five solar flares, three were strong.   

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"NASA missions study flares to help us prepare for and better mitigate their impact," the post added.  

Solar flares can also be harmful if directed towards Earth.  

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The strong flares can sometimes have an impact on radio communications, navigational systems, power grids, etc. They can also pose a risk to spacecraft and astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the space agency added.  

The solar flares belong to different classes. The X-class ones are the most powerful storms on the sun. A-class sun flares are the weakest; B- and C-class storms are likewise minor. When aimed directly at Earth, more intense M-class storms and above can supercharge the northern lights, while the strongest X-class storms can pose a threat to satellites and astronauts in orbit.  

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(With inputs from agencies)