Sun Emits Powerful Flares of Current Solar Cycle 25 and Prepares More

On Tuesday, July 23, Europe's Solar Orbiter (SolO) captured an extremely powerful X14 class solar flare from the sun's far side. While it wasn't the mightiest flare ever observed—that record goes to a X45 flare in 2003—such strong flares can incite long-lasting radiation storms and even global blackouts if directed at Earth. The X-class, top of the classification scale, discharges energy ten times more potent than M-class flares, second on the scale.

"Based on the estimated GOES class, it was the largest flare thus far," shared Samuel Krucker, principal investigator for the Spectrometer and Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) on SolO, with SpaceWeather.com. Previous large flares include an X12 on May 20, 2024, and an X10 on July 17, 2023, all generated from the sun's far side. Conversely, on Earth's side, the strongest flare recorded this cycle was an X8.9 on May 14, 2024, causing a significant geomagnetic storm and worldwide auroras.

Accompanying the X14 flare was an immense coronal mass ejection (CME), identified by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). CMEs consist of plasma and magnetic fields ejected from the sun's atmosphere. This latest eruption was not Earth-directed, but had it been, it might have caused major disruptions such as those in 1989 when a solar storm severely affected Quebec's power grid.

Looking ahead, researchers have detected beginnings of the sun’s next cycle, Cycle 26, while still in the midst of the current Cycle 25. Presently peaking at "solar maximum," Cycle 25 brings increased solar activities, including frequent sunspots, solar flares, and CMEs, anticipated to persist until mid-2025. This solar maximum enhances auroras on Earth and fluxes of electromagnetic energy impacting the planet.

Cycle 25 began in 2019 and is expected to continue for approximately 11 years. Researchers from the University of Birmingham, at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting, have recently indicated early signs of Cycle 26.

Given the sun’s continuous rotation, the region generating significant solar flares will be back in view within the next week and a half, deeming it a region to monitor closely.