Solar flares of class X may be possible on the Sun in the next 24 hours

Formation of a large active region is observed on the Sun, if the area growth continues, the highest class X flares may occur within 24 hours.

As TASS reports, this is stated by the laboratory of solar astronomy of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"<...>On the north-eastern edge of the sun, where there were almost no spots in the morning, a rapid formation of a new large active region is observed. The flow of X-ray radiation from the Sun against this background has increased by about 500% since the morning and is currently approaching the M-class threshold. By the end of the day, it is expected to reach the level of strong flares, and if the growth of the sunspot group area continues at the same rate, then the first X-level flares may occur within the next 24 hours," the message says.

Solar flares, depending on the power of X-ray radiation, are divided into five classes: A, B, C, M, and X. The minimum class A0.0 corresponds to a radiation power in Earth's orbit of 10 nanowatts per square meter. When transitioning to the next letter, the power increases 10 times. Flares can be accompanied by ejections of solar plasma, the clouds of which, when reaching Earth, can trigger magnetic storms.