Solar Flare of Unprecedented Magnitude Released by Sun

During a recent incident, the Sun exhibited an uncommon state of calmness, which came after a week of potentially dangerous solar storm activity aimed at Earth. Keith Strong, a solar physicist, disclosed his observations indicating that despite the tranquility on our planet, the Sun’s surface was anything but peaceful. This was demonstrated by the occurrence of an extremely powerful solar flare.

According to Strong’s post, the Sun went without significant flares (>C5) for the longest time since March. The report found 11 spot regions and the number of sunspots up to 155, as well as 4 occurrences of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).

Understanding the sunspot number:

In order to understand the ionospheric properties relevant to high-frequency propagation, it is important to know the current activity levels of the sun. Traditionally, the Sunspot Number (SSN), which indicates the number of dark spots on the sun’s surface, has served as the primary indicator of solar activity.

Solar Flare’s Amazing Energy Release:

A notable incident involved the discharge of a magnet wire around 12:00 UT on August 17. Earth-orbiting satellites detected this event, leading SpaceWeather.com to report a C5-class solar flare. At the same time SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) recorded the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) journey into space.

The alarming aspect of this eruption is the release of energy equivalent to a billion atomic bombs from World War II. The report humorously noted that such a huge explosion is considered low activity for the Sun, a massive independent nuclear entity.

Fortunately, this event is not aimed at Earth, which guarantees that no immediate harm will follow in the coming days.

SOHO mission

Located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) continuously observes the Sun and records remarkable images and valuable information about its stormy phenomena. SOHO’s investigations extend from the Sun’s core to its visible layer and turbulent atmosphere, and extend into the remote regions where the solar wind interacts with interstellar atoms. This mission is a collaboration between ESA and NASA.