Sun fires massive solar flares directly at Earth; Australia, Japan and China witness radio blackouts

The Sun has released two powerful solar flares over the past one week, causing radio blackouts in some regions.A newly emerged sunspot region,namedAR3663, is understood to be behind these solar flares, whichwere fired offwithinjustsix hours of each other.The Sun is experiencing heightened flare activity in its 11-year period in which its magnetic field goes through a cycle. During this cycle, theSun’snorth and south poles switch places, a process during which solar flaresare released. Some flares are sostrongthat theyend up affectinglife here on Earth.

All about the two eruptions

The first eruption occurred on May 2, when the mostpowerfulcategory flare, an X-class solar flare, was fired off AR3663. It was so powerful that it caused blackouts across Australia, Japan and much of China.

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"XFLARE! Sunspot region AR3663 just produced an X1.7 flare, the 11th largest flare so far this cycle. It was an impulsive flare lasting a total of about 25 minutes and peaking at 02:22 U.T,"solar physicist Keith Strong wrote on X.

The second eruption came on May 3, which was an M-class flare.

At the time of the eruption, the sunspot was facing our home planet, bringing Earth into direct firing line. Itis speculatedthat at least one of the solar flares carried a coronal mass ejection (CME)with it. CME is alargeexpulsion of plasma and magnetic field.

Space.com website reports that powerful CMEs, thataredirectedtowards Earth,can cause disruptions with power grids, telecommunication networks and orbiting satellites.They can also expose our astronauts in space to harmful doses of radiation.

What are solar flares?

Solar flares are a fascinating phenomenon that occurs when magnetic fields within theSun'satmosphere reconnect, releasingamassiveamount ofenergy.This processis similar toa rubber band snapping back into place after being stretched too far. The energy released during a solar flare is immense, and NASA categorises these flares based on their strength. At the top of the scale are the X-class flares, the most powerfulof the bunch. Next come the M-class flares, which are a tenth as powerful as the X-class.Following these are the C-classflares,andfinally,the B-class flares, the weakest of the bunch.

(With inputs from agencies)