Two solar flares of the penultimate power class occurred on the morning of December 12, according to the Institute of Applied Geophysics (FSBI "IPG").
The first flare, class M2.0, was recorded at 08:05 Moscow time in sunspot group 4296 (S18W73) and lasted 24 minutes. It was accompanied by bursts of radio emission of types II and IV at speeds up to 410 km/s and caused short-term disruptions in shortwave radio communications.
The second flare, class M1.1, occurred at 08:44 Moscow time in sunspot group 4294 (S13W89) and lasted 26 minutes, also affecting the operation of radio channels.
Both flares were recorded in the largest solar sunspot complex of the current year.
Solar flares are classified by the intensity of X-ray radiation into five classes - A, B, C, M, and X, where each subsequent category is 10 times more powerful than the previous one. Phenomena of this level are often accompanied by plasma ejections that can cause magnetic storms upon reaching Earth.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Geminid meteor shower will delight observers on the night of December 14 - the Moon will not interfere
- Magnetic storm is approaching: an M4.4 level flare occurred in the largest sunspot complex on the Sun
- After a plasma ejection from the Sun, a magnetic storm began on Earth
