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  4. Solar Flares Today
Last 30 Days

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."

ClassBegin TimePeak TimeSourceRegionInstrumentsLink
C4.1
Mar 28, 2026 11:18
about 6 hours ago
11:35 UTCN15E57AR 14404GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M1.3
Mar 28, 2026 02:16
about 15 hours ago
04:18 UTCS24E70AR 14405GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M3.9
Mar 26, 2026 06:11
2 days ago
06:23 UTCN15E60AR 14403GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C2.9
Mar 24, 2026 23:52
4 days ago
00:12 UTCS14W52AR 14400GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C7.2
Mar 24, 2026 17:18
4 days ago
17:54 UTCN12E90-GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C3.4
Mar 22, 2026 23:26
6 days ago
00:12 UTCS15W72AR 14392GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C1.5
Mar 22, 2026 22:56
6 days ago
23:09 UTCS15W67AR 14392GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M2.7
Mar 18, 2026 08:26
10 days ago
08:42 UTCS16W05AR 14392GOES-S: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M1.3
Mar 17, 2026 08:55
11 days ago
09:04 UTCS14E10AR 14392GOES-S: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M2.7
Mar 16, 2026 12:00
12 days ago
12:15 UTCS15E19AR 14392GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M1.0
Mar 15, 2026 09:21
13 days ago
09:39 UTCS15E35AR 14392GOES-S: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C8.9
Mar 13, 2026 20:09
15 days ago
20:23 UTCS15E53AR 14392GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
M1.1
Mar 13, 2026 09:40
15 days ago
09:55 UTCN10W70AR 14384GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C2.4
Mar 10, 2026 11:22
18 days ago
12:04 UTCN13E70AR 14389GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C2.0
Mar 8, 2026 15:02
20 days ago
15:07 UTCN08E68AR 14387GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C4.0
Mar 1, 2026 21:41
27 days ago
21:48 UTCN10E90AR 14384GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C5.9
Mar 1, 2026 07:30
27 days ago
07:49 UTCN10E65AR 14381GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA
C5.2
Mar 1, 2026 06:07
27 days ago
06:15 UTCN07E65AR 14381GOES-P: EXIS 1.0-8.0NASA

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