![]() ![]() The biggest X-class flares are by far the largest explosions in the solar system and are awesome to watch. The most powerful flare measured with modern methods was in 2003, during the last solar maximum, and it was so powerful that it overloaded the sensors measuring it. Although X is the last letter, there are flares more than 10 times the power of an X1, so X-class flares can go higher than 9. M-class flares can cause brief radio blackouts at the poles and minor radiation storms that might endanger astronauts.Īnd then come the X-class flares. Within each letter class there is a finer scale from 1 to 9.Ĭ-class and smaller flares are too weak to noticeably affect Earth. So an X is ten times an M and 100 times a C. ![]() ![]() Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a 10-fold increase in energy output. The smallest ones are A-class (near background levels), followed by B, C, M and X. The biggest flares are known as "X-class flares" based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength. That means more flares will be coming, some small and some big enough to send their radiation all the way to Earth. The number of solar flares increases approximately every 11 years, and the sun is currently moving towards another solar maximum, likely in 2013. These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space.
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