The sun has released a powerful solar flare, according to Nasa, which can damage parts of infrastructure around the world.
A solar flare is a strong blast of energy from the sun, which can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
"Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground," Nasa said.
The sun is currently entering the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, during which such solar weather is likely to increase.
Experts have repeatedly warned a particularly strong solar flare could damage critical parts of infrastructure around the world.
Nasa posted on X that the sun emitted a strong solar flare, peaking at 8:4oam ET on Wednesday, 2024.
The Sun emitted a strong solar flare on Nov. 6, 2024, peaking at 8:40 a.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of the event, which was classified as X2.3. https://t.co/ShmsbiXgMF pic.twitter.com/Q3AZem2bIf
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) November 6, 2024
Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event.
Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts, Nasa said.
This flare is classified as an X2.3 class flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
