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Solar Flares Today

Track recent solar flare events detected by NASA. Solar flares are sudden eruptions of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun, classified by their X-ray brightness.

About Solar Flares Today

Solar flares are sudden, intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation originating from the Sun's surface near sunspot groups. They occur when built-up magnetic energy in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released through a process called magnetic reconnection. Flares are classified by their peak X-ray flux: B-class (the weakest), C-class (moderate, rarely noticed on Earth), M-class (medium-sized, can cause brief radio blackouts at the poles), and X-class (the most powerful, capable of causing planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms). The classification uses a logarithmic scale — an M-class flare is 10 times stronger than a C-class. Each class is further divided into a linear scale from 1 to 9 (except X-class, which has no upper limit). The strongest flare ever recorded was an X28+ event on November 4, 2003, during the "Halloween Solar Storms."

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Frequently Asked Questions About Solar Flares Today

How are solar flares classified?+
Solar flares are classified by their peak X-ray flux measured by GOES satellites in the 1-8 Angstrom band. The scale is logarithmic: B-class (less than 10^-6 W/m^2), C-class (10^-6 to 10^-5), M-class (10^-5 to 10^-4), and X-class (greater than 10^-4). Each class is 10 times more powerful than the previous. Within each class, a linear scale from 1 to 9 further subdivides the intensity (except X-class, which has no upper bound).
Do solar flares cause auroras?+
Solar flares alone do not directly cause auroras. However, major flares are often accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and it is the CME interaction with Earth's magnetosphere that triggers geomagnetic storms and auroral displays. The electromagnetic radiation from a flare reaches Earth in 8 minutes, but the associated CME plasma takes 1-3 days to arrive.
How long do solar flares last?+
Solar flare durations vary by class and complexity. B and C-class flares may last only a few minutes. M-class flares typically last 10-30 minutes. X-class flares can persist for over an hour, with some long-duration events lasting several hours. The impulsive phase (fastest energy release) usually lasts only a few minutes, followed by a gradual decay phase.

Related Pages

Solar Dashboard

Overview of all solar activity

CME Events

Coronal mass ejections

Geomagnetic Storms

Kp index & storm data

Earth from Space

DSCOVR EPIC imagery

Glossary

Space weather terms