(NEXSTAR) — A massive solar flare — the largest in years — was spotted on the sun on New Year’s Eve, sparking a warning to some high-frequency radio users.
In an update Sunday evening, NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) released an image of the flare, which appeared as a large, glowing spot on the sun. You can see that image below.
“A flare is an eruption of energy from the sun that generally lasts minutes to hours,” the SWPC explains. This one in particular, which peaked just before 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, was categorized as an X5 flare.
The most significant solar flare since 2017 was spotted on the sun this New Year’s Eve.
Experts say people should not worry about massive blackouts due to the flares, given the resiliencies built into electrical grids, flights, and communication systems to prevent or diminish the impact.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/solar-…d/1147840/
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/goes-x-ray-flux
AR3536 (old AR3514) has come to beat its old record of an X2.8 flare on Dec 14th with an X4+ currently in progress! 💥 pic.twitter.com/UESU2iiUie
— ☀️ Sara Housseal ☀️ (@SNHWx) December 31, 2023
BLACKOUT IN PROGRESS !!! pic.twitter.com/txaYNF9ix7
— Q ™️ (@QTHESTORMM) December 31, 2023
HAPPY NEW YEAAAARRRR!!!!!!
An X5 class solar flare ends the year in style 😎 pic.twitter.com/rYndUYGzxd
— Space Weather Watch (@spacewxwatch) December 31, 2023
This is the current extent of the coronal shockwave from the X5.01 flare from the east limb. It is likely to be a very fast CME (>1000-2000km/sec ejection velocity). It may be possible for a weak wave to hit Earth in a couple of days, but the core should be a miss pic.twitter.com/mlwbPJuHRz
— Landon Moeller (@landon_wx) December 31, 2023