NASA says Sun emitted a 'significant solar flare' on July 3; shares image of the event

On Saturday, July 3, a solar flare erupting from the sun was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The surface of the sun prompted its strongest X-class solar flare in 4 years at the AR2838 sunspot. The sunspot which was observed appeared and disappeared quickly.

Sun flare occurrence

The strongest type of solar flares are X-flares which are typically responsible for the deepest radio blackouts and the most intense geomagnetic storms. This explosion is the first of Solar Cycle 25 which is classified as an X-1.5 class flare. While, during the Solar Cycle of 24, the sun produced 49 X-flares. And therefore, scientists expect dozens of more X-flares as the sun approaches Solar Maximum by the year 2025.

Rob Stammes, operating in a space weather observatory in Lofoten, Norway reported, "The X-flare of July 3rd did something rare. "It disturbed all of my instruments. The flare produced a radio burst, an ionospheric disturbance, a surge of electrical currents in the ground, and a deflection of the observatory's local magnetic field".

The phenomenon is known as magnetic crochet where the radiation from the flare will ionize the top of Earth's atmosphere and cause the currents to flow from 60km to 100km above Earth's surface. Due to this phenomenon, a pulse of X-rays ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere, causing a shortwave radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean. Unusual propagation effects below 30 MHz just after 1429 UT might have been observed by the Mariners, aviators, and amateur radio operators.

Solar flares classification

Solar flares are classified as A, B, C, M or X based on their X-ray brightness. A is the smaller while X is the largest and brightest. The recently observed solar flare was the first X flare spotted on the sun's surface since a new solar cycle began in December 2019. 

The sun undergoes an 11-year activity where it swells to a peak at the middle of the cycle and then begins to quiet down until the end of the cycle when it all repeats. In line with the Solar Cycle, Astronomer and space weather watcher Dr Tony Phillips said, "The sunspot that produced the X1.59 flare appeared suddenly, like a cloudless day that quickly turns stormy. Yesterday it did not even exist, highlighting the unpredictability of solar activity".

He further added, “More flares may be in the offing, so stay tuned".

(Image credit: NASA)