A large x1.6 solar flare erupted from sunspot AR2158 on Wednesday afternoon, disrupting high frequency radio transmissions for over an hour as ultraviolet radiation bathed the upper atmosphere ionizing the upper layers.

This second solar flare is the most powerful of the two that were emitted in as many days. The first significant flare one day before was classified as an M-class flare.

X-Class flares, the most powerful flares to be emitted from sunspots, pose a risk to satellites as well as astronauts in orbit around the earth when those emissions are directed at the planet. However, these powerful bursts cannot penetrate the atmosphere and so are not a threat to humans on the ground.

Slight fluctuations on power grids are expected to occur on Friday and Saturday as a result of the geomagnetic storms that result from the coronal mass ejection that is expected to reach us during this time period.

Although the majority of the coronal mass ejection is expected to pass by the planet, the storms will be powerful enough to produce significant auroras in North America as far south as Pennsylvania, Oregon and Iowa.

Scientists estimate that the CME tore through the sun’s atmosphere at over 8 million miles an hour, while this speed is significant, it is typical of CMEs, “Super CMEs escape the sun at a much higher velocity.

While these two solar flares are dealing the planet a glancing blow, Flares that occur in the coming days may have a much more direct impact.

  AR2158, aurora, cme, coronal mass ejection, Science, solar flare, space, sun, sunspot