Watch: Sun emitting its latest powerful solar flare

Zee Media Bureau

Boulder, Colorado: A powerful solar flare was emitted from the sun early Tuesday, the US scientists said. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the solar flare had caused a radio blackout at 5:26 a.m. EST when it erupted, although it was not directly aimed at the Earth. As the sun approached the peak of its activity cycle, a high-definition video of solar eruption was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The solar flare, which is one of the strongest types of storms the sun can have, was ranked as an X1-class event. Experts told Space.com that the solar flare, erupted from an active sunspot region, may have produced a coronal mass ejection (CME), an explosion of plasma particles that can cause problems for satellites and Earth communications. “This impulsive flare may have an associated CME, but early indications are it will not have a significant impact on the geomagnetic field,” said experts at the Space Weather Prediction Center. They also said that more flares are expected with the sun currently approaching the peak of its solar cycle. “Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun`s normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum conditions,” NASA officials said. “Humans have tracked this solar cycle continuously since it was discovered in 1843, and it is normal for there to be many flares a day during the sun’s peak activity.” Earlier this month a diverse active sunspot region produced the most powerful solar flare of 2013. Click below to watch the video of the sun in action: