Northern lights or aurora borealis illuminate the night sky over Vienna during a geomagnetic storm … [+]
The strongest solar flare since 2017 exploded on the sun late on Friday as a massive display of aurora took place on Earth.
This latest solar flare came from a sunspot region called 3664, activity from which produced incredible displays of aurora across the world on Friday through Saturday.
Rated as an X5.9-class solar flare, it could mean more displays of northern lights over the weekend.
Solar Flares Explained
A solar flare is an intense blast of radiation from the sun that travels at light-speed, taking only eight minutes to arrive at Earth. Solar flares can cause radio blackouts, but not aurora. However, they are connected.
This X-class solar flare will likely trigger coronal mass ejections, which hurl magnetic fields and charged particles into the solar system at up to 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) per second.
Geomagnetic Storms
If CMEs are directed at Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms that produce dazzling displays of the northern lights north of the equator and southern lights south of the equator. Last night’s was rated as high as G5—the highest possible.
“The second biggest solar flare since 2017 (X5.9-class) currently happening on the Sun, whilst the strongest geomagnetic storm since 2003 continues on Earth,” said Dr. Ryan French, a solar physicist at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Boulder, Colorado and the author of The Sun: Beginner’s Guide To Our Local Star. “This is solar maximum, folks! Buckle up.”
Solar Maximum
French is referring to the sun’s solar cycle, a roughly 11 year period during which the sun’s magnetic activity waxes and wanes. It’s currently approaching “solar maximum”—its peak period of activity—which is predicted to occur this year.
Solar physicists attempt to predict the exact time of solar maximum using algorithms, machine learning and AI. However, solar physicists will only know for sure by counting sunspots on the sun’s surface.
Sunspots are magnetic disturbances on the surface of the sun that can be as big as Earth. They’ve been counted every day since 1611, according to NASA. Sunspots are where solar flares and CMEs originate.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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