On January 31, the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) in collaboration with the Solar-Earth Physics Institute issued an urgent warning about unusual developments taking place on the surface of our host star. Accordingly, the risk of the appearance of solar flares at the highest level (level X) is increasing significantly.
Reports from astronomical laboratories show the sudden appearance of a large activity region on the northeastern edge of the Sun. What is worrying is its formation rate.
In the morning, the northeastern edge area had almost no black marks. However, in just a few hours, a large new activity area was formed extremely quickly," the IKI RAS report noted.
This sudden change has led to strong energy fluctuations. Measurement devices recorded that the intensity of the Sun's X-ray radiation has increased sharply by about 500% compared to the morning. Currently, this index is approaching the M-level flare-up threshold (average strong level).
Scientists predict the situation will escalate rapidly by the end of the day. If this black spot group continues to maintain the current "hot" growth rate, X-rays - the strongest level in the solar storm scale - may erupt within the next 24 hours.
Solar flares are giant explosions on the surface of the Sun, releasing powerful energy into space. They are classified by letters A, B, C, M and X, where X is the maximum level. A level X flare has energy destruction 10 times greater than a level M flare.
Closely monitoring these activity zones is paramount for Earth. X-rays when directed towards our planet can have significant impacts on "space weather".
Radiation from these outbreaks has the potential to disrupt high-frequency (HF) radio waves on a large scale, affecting aviation and maritime operations. They can also disrupt GPS navigation systems and create risks for satellites operating in orbit.
However, experts also note that not every X-ray of fire causes disaster. The level of impact depends greatly on the location of the explosion and whether it is accompanied by coronal (CME) eruptions heading straight to Earth.
