Largest Solar Flare in Years Detected

The most significant solar flare since 2017 was spotted on the sun this New Year's Eve.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center released an image of the flare, which peaked Sunday at 4:55 p.m. ET along with a statement.

Solar flares are classified by their X-ray brightness in the wavelength range of 1 to 9 Angstroms, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Scientific Visualization Studio notes.

Flares classes also have names: A, B, C, M, and X, from smallest to largest.

"This flare came from the same region that produced an X2.8 flare on December 14, 2023," SWPC stated. "It is also the largest flare to be observed since September 10, 2017, when an X8.2 flare occurred."

While the general public is unaffected by the flare, the SWPC said those using high-frequency "radio signals may experience temporary degradation or complete loss of signal on much of the sunlit side of Earth."

The SWPC's current forecast shows that Alaska and Canada this month will likely see the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, caused by solar winds and flares like the recent one.

Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine also have a slim chance.

Experts say people should not worry about massive blackouts due to the flares, given the resiliencies built into electrical grids, flights, and communication systems to prevent or diminish the impact.

"Some people worry that a gigantic 'killer solar flare' could hurl enough energy to destroy Earth, but this is not actually possible," NASA assured, per Nexstar Media Group.

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