What's Going On With The Sun's 'Relentless' Solar Flares?

Something stormy is happening in the skies right now. The sun has released a “relentless barrage” of solar flares (21 overall) in the space of 24 hours, Space reports – and it seems more could be on the way.

Some of these are X-class flares, which are the strongest the sun can produce.

The flares began on February 1, 12:33 UTC. It started with what scientists call an X1.0 flare. 

Another came near midnight (X8.1), which is the strongest seen since October 2024. 

Two more flares came on February 2. But what are solar flares, and why are they happening at such a high frequency right now? 

What are solar flares? 

Per the European Space Agency (ESA), “A solar flare is a tremendous explosion on the Sun that happens when energy stored in ‘twisted’ magnetic fields (usually above sunspots) is suddenly released”. 

The material involved heats to millions of degrees, and they create a burst of radiation, including X-rays, radio waves, and gamma rays (very high-energy rays that are created by incredibly hot and incredibly energetic activity).

How do different solar flare strengths affect us?

The ESA explained that the strength of solar flares is classified as follows: 

1) X-class flares 

These are the strongest. They are so powerful that they could affect radio signals on Earth, even causing radio “blackouts”. They can create long-lasting radiation storms in the atmosphere. 

2) M-class flares

These medium flares might affect radio signals in the polar regions, but these would be brief. They can lead to smaller radiation storms, too.

3) C-class flares

We probably won’t notice these very much on Earth. They’re 10 times less powerful than an M-class flare at their strongest. 

4) B-class flares

These are themselves 10 times weaker than C-class flares at their strongest. 

5) A-class flares

Again, these are at least 10 times less strong than B-class flares, and basically don’t affect us on Earth at all.

Why are so many solar flares coming from the sun right now? 

A sunspot on the surface of the sun is rapidly growing.

Sunspots are cooler, darker spots which sometimes appear on the sun thanks to the concentration of magnetic field lines. They are powerful stores of magnetic energy which can create solar flares.

“A few days ago, sunspot 4366 didn’t exist,” Spaceweather reported.

Now, it’s half the size of one of the sun’s biggest sunspots. This inevitably has created some disturbance.

“Giant sunspot 4366 is a solar flare factory,” the publication added.

Will the solar flares affect us on Earth?

They already have. Following the X8.1 flare on February 1, a shortwave radio blackout occurred in the South Pacific Ocean. 

Scientists are keeping an eye on the coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or releases of solar material, linked to these flares.

They don’t seem to be heading in Earth’s direction. One, however, may clip us on February 5, possibly leading to visible aurora. 

There may be more CMEs on their way. These can sometimes cause disruptions to satellites and power grids. 

“If this spot group continues to evolve, remains complex, and erupts with any powerful solar flares, there could be increased chances of energetic particle events and possible even coronal mass ejections (CMEs) to watch for,” the Space Weather Prediction Centre shared.