We’ll be talking about the ‘great aurora of 10 May 2024‘ for years to come, and it’s likely to live long in the memory of all who witnessed it.
The powerful geomegnetic storm that manifested itself as an amazing display of Northern Lights seen across the world last weekend is one symptom of the increase in solar activity we’re seeing as the Sun reaches the peak of its Solar Cycle.
Activity on the Sun in the form of coronal mass ejections, sunspots and solar flares peaks and troughs in an 11-year cycle called the Solar Cycle, and our Sun is currently reaching the peak of Solar Cycle 25.
NASA says that from 3 May to 9 May 2024, its Earth-orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory observed 82 notable solar flares.
These flares mostly came from two active regions on the Sun named AR 13663 and AR 13664.
And NASA released the video above to show a series of flares captured in the run-up to 10 May 2024 that meet some of the most intense classifications.
All flares in the video are M5 or higher, nine of them categorised as X-class solar flares.
Solar flares are categorised in B, C, M, and X classes, with X being the most intense.
Solar flares explained
A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation or light emanating from the Sun, and is one of the most powerful explosive events that can occur in the Solar System.
Light takes 8 minutes to travel from our Sun to Earth, and that means it takes just 8 minutes for the powerful energy from a solar flare to hit our planet.
However, Earth’s protective atmosphere means solar flares are not directly dangerous for those of us living on the ground.
But they can be harmful to astronauts beyond the atmosphere and communications technology.
Strong solar flares can affect high-frequency radio used for navigation and GPS.
This is known as space weather and is a phenomenon studied in great detail by scientists eager to learn more about the workings of the Sun and how it affects all planets of the Solar System.
As the peak of Solar Cycle 25 approaches, solar astronomers and space probes are likely to see much more action on the surface of the Sun.