ST. LOUIS — Lately, the sun has been putting on quite the show, and scientists at the Space Weather Prediction Center have been keeping a close eye on it. They’ve been watching solar flares coming from a part of the sun called Region 3590. It may disrupt some high frequency radio signals, but most people should not be concerned.
Big Bursts of Energy
The sun shot out two big solar flares recently. One was an X1.8 flare, and the other was an X1.7 flare. When scientists talk about “X-class,” they mean these flares are quite strong.
The part of the sun where these flares came from, Region 3590, is interesting because it has a complicated magnetic field. It’s like the sun has a giant magnet there that’s all twisted up, which can cause these huge flares. Even with these large flares, we haven’t seen any big clouds of solar material shooting out into space from them, which sometimes happens and is called a coronal mass ejection.
What This Means for Us
When these big flares happen, they can mess with radio signals here on Earth. For most people, there’s nothing to worry about; it’s more of an interesting thing that’s happening way out in space.
Looking ahead, scientists are keeping their eyes peeled for more flares, especially since another part of the sun that’s known for big flares is coming back into view. They think we might see more action from the sun in the next few days.
Solar Cycle
According to NOAA, we’re nearing the peak of Solar Cycle 25, an 11-year period in which it flips its north and south poles. During this time, various space weather events can occur that can bring geomagnetic storms — and the northern lights — to us on Earth.
