Last week the Sun let out an epic roar in the form of an X-class flare. That wasn’t particularly out of the ordinary, especially as the Sun approaches the apex of its 11-year solar cycle. However, the resulting coronal mass ejection happened to coincide with our planetary orbit, meaning it came right at us. Now the Sun has released an even more powerful flare.
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00:00Last week, the sun let out an epic roar in the form of an X-class flare.
00:09That wasn't particularly out of the ordinary, especially as the sun approaches the apex
00:13of its 11-year solar cycle.
00:15However, the resulting coronal mass ejection happened to coincide with our planetary orbit,
00:19meaning it came right at us.
00:21This caused radio blackouts in several areas around the planet, but also resulted in some
00:26amazing auroras in some areas that usually never get to see them.
00:29Now astronomers say the sun is at it again, but this time the flare is the biggest one
00:34it has let out in 7 years.
00:36It was measured at X8.7, making it one of the top 20 strongest solar flares ever detected.
00:42For reference, last week's auroras were caused by an X5.8 solar flare, meaning this
00:46most recent one was nearly 40% stronger.
00:49So are we about to get another bout of beautiful auroras?
00:52Experts say that this flare occurred as the active area was turning away from Earth, meaning
00:56we shouldn't expect anything as spectacular as we saw last week.
00:59Still, the sun is clearly acting up, and we could expect another epic show as we approach
01:04the solar maximum sometime in the next two years.