In the heart of Spain’s capital, Madrid, scientists have reported that our Sun has emitted two powerful eruptions. These solar events took place within a short span of hours, and interestingly, they coincided with the apex of activity in the current 11-year cycle of our star, the Sun.
The first of these solar eruptions reached its pinnacle at 11:07 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the 21st of February. The second eruption was recorded at 6:32 UTC on the following day, according to reports from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), a spacecraft that is constantly surveilling our star, captured striking images of these solar events. The photos showed bright flashes emanating from the upper left area of the Sun. The images reveal a subset of extreme ultraviolet light, which is indicative of the exceptionally high temperatures of the material that constitutes the flares. This material appears bluish-green in color in the images.
Solar flares are massive explosions of energy that occur on the Sun. These flares, along with other solar events, can impact radio communications, electrical power networks, and navigation signals on Earth. They can also pose significant risks to spacecraft and astronauts in space.
The first flare is classified as X1.8, while the second is classified as X1.7. The ‘X’ class denotes the most intense flares, and the number provides additional information about their strength. These recent solar eruptions follow those that were recorded earlier in the month, on February 9 and 16.
The Sun, our nearest star, is composed of a hot ionized gas known as plasma. This plasma, through its enormous flows and convection, forms magnetic fields within the Sun. These magnetic fields manifest on the Sun’s surface as dark spots, which are similar in size to the Earth. These spots are sites of extreme magnetism, with a magnetic field strength around 10,000 times that of our home planet.
Occasionally, the magnetic fields associated with these sunspots undergo violent changes. These changes can result in solar magnetic storms, such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections. These storms release high-energy radiation and propel large quantities of magnetized plasma into outer space. The most intense of these storms can cause severe damage to satellites in orbit around the Earth, power grids, and telecommunication systems as they head towards our planet.
Observations made over hundreds of years, dating back to the early 17th century, indicate that the number of sunspots observed on the Sun changes periodically. Roughly every 11 years, the number of these spots and the intensity of solar activity reach a peak. This is the time when the most violent disturbances in planetary space environments, also known as space weather, are anticipated. However, predicting the exact timing of this peak remains a scientific challenge.
The solar cycle is driven by a dynamo mechanism that is powered by energy from the plasma flows within the Sun. This mechanism involves two main components of the Sun’s magnetic field. One component manifests itself in the sunspot cycle, while the other is expressed in a large-scale recycling of the Sun’s dipolar field. This latter component is very similar to Earth’s magnetic field, extending from one pole of the star to the other. Along with the sunspot cycle, the strength of the dipolar field also fluctuates, and the north and south magnetic poles of the Sun switch places approximately every 11 years.
