The first significant medium-power flare of May occurred on the Sun. According to the Institute of Applied Geophysics, the event was recorded on the morning of May 4.
The M1.8 class flare occurred at 04:33 Moscow time in a group of sunspots and lasted 31 minutes. This is one of the more powerful types of flares, second only to the highest class.
Solar flares are classified by X-ray radiation levels and are divided into five categories – from A to X. The power increases 10-fold when moving from one class to another.
Such phenomena can be accompanied by plasma ejections. If these streams reach Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms, which affect the operation of satellites, communications, and navigation systems.
