• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Incredible timelapse shows the Sun's strongest solar flare in a decade

Home> News> Science

Published 20:19 15 May 2024 GMT+1

Incredible timelapse shows the Sun's strongest solar flare in a decade

NASA captured the mega flare

Jess Battison

Jess Battison

An incredible timelapse shows the Sun’s strongest solar flare in a decade.

Following on from last week’s ‘severe’ solar storm, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed the Sun had emitted it yesterday (14 May)

As described by NASA, a solar flare is a powerful burst of energy.

Essentially, it’s a sudden eruption of brightness from its surface and when the Sun’s very active there will be several flares each day.

Advert

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught this of the flare.(NASA/SDO)
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught this of the flare.(NASA/SDO)

But this big one yesterday has been classified as an X8.7 flare, making it the biggest event in the Sun’s current 11-year solar cycle.

The X-class denotes ‘the most intense flares’ and then the number provides further information about its strength.

And incredible footage shared by NASA Sun and Space shows a ‘multi-wavelength look’ at the powerful burst of radiation yesterday.

While the solar flares see these ‘bursts of radiation’, the US space agency does add: “Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground. However — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS & communications signals travel.”

Advert

Flares and solar eruptions like this can have an impact on radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals as well as posing risk to space crafts and astronauts.

Footage shows the flare. (NASA Sun & Space)
Footage shows the flare. (NASA Sun & Space)

And as well as all of that, solar flares can produce incredible light shows in the sky – auroras.

Of course, last week’s big solar activity had Brits flooding social media with photos as the Northern Lights were visible across the UK on Friday (10 May).

The ‘severe’ solar storm combined with the clear skies meant people across the country were spotting the incredible spectacle over the entire weekend.

Advert

However, as yesterday’s huge flare happened in a direction away from Earth, it’s unlikely we’d get to see the Northern Lights again because of it. I mean, once in a week is good enough for us.

Jim Wild, Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University, told Metro: "Solar flares are unlikely to trigger displays of the Northern Lights.

"The aurora seen last weekend were caused by eruptions of solar material called coronal mass ejections impacting the Earth’s magnetic field.

"Flares and coronal mass ejections often happen at the same time, but yesterday’s flare didn’t launch any coronal mass ejections towards Earth."

Advert

Following yesterday’s whopper of a flare, the Sun also emitted a X2.9 flare at 3:38pm UK time today.

Featured Image Credit: X/@NASAGoddard

Topics: Science, Space, NASA

Jess Battison
Jess Battison

Jess is a Senior Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include asking everyone in the office what they're having for tea, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021.

X

@jessbattison_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
7 hours ago
8 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Elon Musk urges release of Epstein files weeks after accusing Trump of being involved in fiery X rant

    Musk made a bombshell claim about his former 'first buddy'

    News
  • 7 hours ago

    Arne Slot releases emotional statement after Diogo Jota tragically dies aged 28

    The Liverpool forward and his brother died this morning

    News
  • 8 hours ago

    Mum says picture of her son at nursery saved his life after camera flash revealed rare disease

    Laura Davies, from Wales, says she would have 'never known' without the photo

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Brit, 29, who fell ill moments after getting tattoo on hen do fighting for life in coma

    Poppy-Mae Crutchley began to feel unwell 'instantly' after she got the inking in the Spanish party hotspot

    News
  • NASA's Voyager 1 has just found a 50,000 Celsius 'wall of fire' at the edge of the solar system
  • NASA confirms new existence of interstellar object zooming through our solar system
  • Earth set to be hit with large 'solar flare' in next few days that could have big impact on people
  • Chances of 'Planet X' having alien life as scientists think they've discovered a new planet in our solar system