A powerful X1.1-class flare occurred on the Sun, registered in the X-ray range on March 28 at 18:20 Moscow time. The duration of the flare was 41 minutes.
The last time a similar event was observed was on February 23, when an X2.0 flare was recorded. According to experts, the explosion occurred on the eastern edge of the Sun and does not yet pose a danger to Earth. However, in a few days, the area of activity will be near the Sun-Earth line. If this event is a harbinger of a new series of flares, then from the middle of next week, direct hits of solar plasma on our planet are possible.
The March 28 flare turned out to be not only powerful but also spectacular. The SDO satellite recorded a bright event in the spectral range of 30.4 nm (helium), and the LASCO telescopes observed the ejected cloud of plasma. According to experts, part of the energy was probably shielded by the solar disk, and the real power of the flare may be higher than the declared level of X1.1.
Solar flares are classified according to the power of X-ray radiation and are divided into five classes: A, B, C, M, and X. When moving to the next letter, the intensity increases by 10 times. Flares are accompanied by emissions of solar plasma, which, when reaching Earth, can cause magnetic storms.
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