Sun emits solar flare; Awesome photo captured by NASA

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has captured the Sun emitting a fearsome solar flare on April 20, 2022.

NASA captures Sun emitting solar flare on April 20,2022. (SDO/NASA)

Sun, the giant burning ball in our solar system, has been caught emitting a solar flare on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. The information has been provided by NASA in a blog post. "The Sun emitted a moderate solar flare on April 20, 2022, peaking at 9:59 p.m. ET. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event," NASA said. However, this is not the first time the Sun has been captured or observed emitting solar flares. Earlier on April 16, too, the burning ball released a significant solar flare.

"The Sun emitted a significant solar flare on April 16, 2022, peaking at 11:34 p.m. EST. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event," NASA had said. Do you know what solar flare is? Solar flares are a sudden explosion of energy caused by tangling, crossing or reorganizing of magnetic field lines near sunspots.

"A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system's largest explosive events. They are seen as bright areas on the sun and they can last from minutes to hours. We typically see a solar flare by the photons (or light) it releases, at most every wavelength of the spectrum. The primary ways we monitor flares are in x-rays and optical light. Flares are also sites where particles (electrons, protons, and heavier particles) are accelerated," NASA explained.

This solar flare has been classified as an M-Class flare, NASA said. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides information about its strength.

Impact of solar flare on Earth

According to NASA flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

Explaining the impact of solar flare, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Space Weather Prediction Center said, when a strong enough solar flare occurs, ionization is produced in the lower, more dense layers of the ionosphere (the D-layer), and radio waves that interact with electrons in layers lose energy due to the more frequent collisions that occur in the higher density environment of the D-layer. This can cause HF radio signals to become degraded or completely absorbed. This results in a radio blackout – the absence of HF communication, primarily impacting the 3 to 30 MHz band.

Solar flares usually take place in active regions, which are areas on the Sun marked by the presence of strong magnetic fields; typically associated with sunspot groups. As these magnetic fields evolve, they can reach a point of instability and release energy in a variety of forms. These include electromagnetic radiation, which are observed as solar flares.