Six powerful flares, including one of the highest class X, were recorded on the Sun on January 4. This was reported by the press service of the Institute of Applied Geophysics (IPG).
At 01:41 Moscow time on January 4, an X1.1 class flare was recorded in the X-ray range in the group of sunspots 3947 (N11E59), lasting 24 minutes. This is the second flare of the most powerful class X to occur since the beginning of January. Previously, on January 3, there was also an X1.2 class flare.
In addition, five more class M flares were observed today, including M7.6, M1.5, M5.8, M1.9 and M2.3. Flares of this class have less power, but are still capable of affecting the Earth's magnetic field.
Solar flares are classified according to their X-ray radiation power into five classes: A, B, C, M and X. The smallest class A0.0 corresponds to a radiation power of 10 nanowatts per square meter in Earth orbit. With an increase in class, the radiation power increases by 10 times. Solar activity flares are often accompanied by emissions of solar plasma, which can provoke magnetic storms on Earth.
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