The first large flare of the current solar cycle erupted at 10:29a.m. on July 3 according to the US Space Weather Prediction Center. The researchers at the center measure intensities of solar flares on a scale of A-class to X-class, with X-class being the largest. The flare on July 3 was categorized as class X1, the largest category.
Solar flares are considered to be part of “space weather” and can occasionally be accompanied by coronal mass ejections and magnetic plasma bubbles that can reach earth. Solar flare energy can affect high frequency communication and GPS systems in rare cases, should the energy from the flare make its way to Earth. The sun functions in an 11-year solar cycle of flare activity. December 2019 was the start of Cycle 25 and began with a solar minimum, the solar maximum will be reached in July 2025. Solar minimums have the fewest sunspots and quiet activity of the sun while solar maximums have the largest number of sunspots.
Read more: Massive X-class solar flare erupted from sun
