Strong X2.8 Solar Flare Erupts from Sun | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

Strong X2.8 Solar Flare Erupts from Sun | NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare seen as the bright flash on the limb of the Sun on May 27, 2024 with an inset image of Earth for scale. The image shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot material in flares. It is colorized in red.

Amateur astronomer Michael Karrer captured gigantic explosion from the Sun's surface on May 27, 2024, from Austria

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): An X2.8 flare from old Region 3664 occurred at 27/0708 UTC. Due to its far SE location, energetic particles could take additional time to arrive in the near Earth environment.

The Sun emitted a strong solar flare from the AR3664 region, peaking at 3:08 a.m. ET on May 27, 2024. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) watches the Sun constantly and it captured an image of the event.

"I have not seen an explosion like this in my 40 years of observing the sun," said amateur astronomer Michael Karrer. "So fast, so far out into space! It was gigantic."

This flare is classified as a X2.8 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. 

NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.

Image Credit: NASA/SDO/Michael Karrer/NOAA

Release Date: May 28, 2024

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