The Highest Class Flare on the Sun

Scientists have recorded the first-ever high-class X-ray flare on the Sun since October 9. This was reported to TASS by the Russian Institute of Applied Geophysics.

On October 24, at 07:57 Yerevan time, an X3.3 flare with a duration of 44 minutes was recorded in the group of sunspots 3869 (S16E76).

According to IPG's space weather monitoring, after the flare, the level of solar X-ray radiation affecting the Earth's ionosphere reached R3 (strong), while the highest on the scale is R5 (extreme).

Solar flares are classified into five classes—A, B, C, M, and X—depending on the strength of the X-ray radiation. The minimum A0.0 class corresponds to a radiation power of 10 nanowatts per square meter in the Earth's orbit. Each subsequent letter signifies a tenfold increase in intensity.

Flares are typically accompanied by solar plasma ejecta, which, upon reaching Earth, can cause magnetic storms.