The strongest type of solar flares, which might last for days, could be set to be released from a large sunspot.
Now that Sunspot AR3089, which is facing Earth, has a delta-class magnetic field, it has accumulated enough energy to potentially produce X-class solar flares.
About a 5% probability exists, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), that the sunspot will produce an X-class outburst. If it happens, the flare might set off a strong geomagnetic storm that might harm infrastructure and electromagnetic communication systems by disrupting the Earth’s atmosphere. On the surface of the sun, sunspots are darker regions with intense coronal magnetic fields.
Solar Flare Could Disrupt Communication
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are enormous solar plasma plumes, and solar flares, which are electromagnetic radiation surges, can both be produced when these powerful magnetic fields realign themselves.
Because they produce very large sunspots with reversible magnetic polarity, delta-class fields are typically linked to higher levels of solar activity, according to spaceweatherlive.com.
According to how potent the X-rays are, solar flares ejected from sunspots are divided into three classes: C-class, M-class, and X-class. The most powerful but least frequent flares are X-class flares, which are the least frequent but most powerful. M-class flares are medium strength and may create mild geomagnetic storms. An X10 flare is 10 times more potent than an X1 flare, while X-class flares are 10 times more potent than M-class flares.
Although there is a small probability that sunspot AR3089 could produce an X-class flare, if it does, the ensuing geomagnetic storms could be harmful to Earth. According to NASA, X-class flares that strike Earth may harm satellites, cause transmission issues, cause global radio blackouts, and perhaps expose passengers on airplanes flying close to the North and South poles to minor radiation doses.
