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After sunset 🌇🌌 - night shot series Pic1: F/1.89 5.43mm 1/312s ISO-100 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #sky #clouds #night #nofilter #series #aftersunset #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary https://www.instagram.com/p/CK_oG6ghDem/?igshid=lok8ldwfrsfm

The Sun Just Released the Most Powerful Flare of this Solar Cycle

The Sun released two significant solar flares on Sept. 6, including one that clocked in as the most powerful flare of the current solar cycle.

The solar cycle is the approximately 11-year-cycle during which the Sun’s activity waxes and wanes. The current solar cycle began in December 2008 and is now decreasing in intensity and heading toward solar minimum, expected in 2019-2020. Solar minimum is a phase when solar eruptions are increasingly rare, but history has shown that they can nonetheless be intense.

Footage of the Sept. 6 X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (131 angstrom wavelength)

Our Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of both X-class flares on Sept. 6.

Solar flares are classified according to their strength. X-class denotes the most intense flares, followed by M-class, while the smallest flares are labeled as A-class (near background levels) with two more levels in between. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each of the five levels of letters represents a 10-fold increase in energy output. 

The first flare peaked at 5:10 a.m. EDT, while the second, larger flare, peaked at 8:02 a.m. EDT.

Footage of the Sept. 6 X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (171 angstrom wavelength) with Earth for scale

Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb Earth’s atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.

Both Sept. 6 flares erupted from an active region labeled AR 2673. This area also produced a mid-level solar flare on Sept. 4, 2017. This flare peaked at 4:33 p.m. EDT, and was about a tenth the strength of X-class flares like those measured on Sept. 6.

Footage of the Sept. 4 M5.5 solar flare captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory in extreme ultraviolet light (131 angstrom wavelength)

This active region continues to produce significant solar flares. There were two flares on the morning of Sept. 7 as well. 

For the latest updates and to see how these events may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center at http://spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, alerts, watches and warnings.

Follow @NASASun on Twitter and NASA Sun Science on Facebook to keep up with all the latest in space weather research.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

Clouds☁️ after sunrise🌄 before morning jogging 🏃 Pic1: 1/50s f/1.89 5.43mm ISO125 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #clouds #morning #jogging #austria #sunrise #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday (at Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKYXe9pBS8l/?igshid=1qczpsz2ww22m

Day 5: Macro - My lovely Lego rabbit in macro bokeh 🐇 Daily photo challenge by @rebels_united 📸 #mi10tpro . . #luxiumtaurus #lego #rabbit #february #instalike #photooftheday #awesome #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community_member #rebels_united #rebel_scapes #raw_mobile #raw_mobilephoto #rebel_colors #challenge #potd #raw_community #raw_colours #raw_textures #raw_collage #raw_minimal #rebel_macro #iso100colors #iso100_explore #RebelsUnitedFeb2023POTD (at Vienna, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSdH8qIGxJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Sunset 🌄 on frozen water ❄️ F/1.9 5.43mm 1/9200s ISO-100, #raw 📷 #pocox3nfc . . #sunset #ice #sunshining #macro #luxiumtaurus #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #me #smile #instalike #photooftheday #nature #awesome #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community_member #rebels_united https://www.instagram.com/p/CWyCElsIVBU/?utm_medium=tumblr

First snow this year 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣! View from the double wire mesh fence🧱 onto the walnut tree🌳 Pic1: 1/683s f/1.89 5.43mm ISO100 . 📷 #pocox3nfc . . . . #doublewiremeshfence #doppelstabmattenzaun #walnuttree #snow #firstsnow #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #nature #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday (at Wiener Neustadt, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJtUJ5EB7GU/?igshid=uqlxagbd7v7w

Sunrise 🌄 gap between the ground 🏞️ and the clouds ☁️ F/1.9 5.43mm 1/100s ISO-134, #raw 📷 #pocox3nfc . . #sunrise #clouds #sunshine #gap #luxiumtaurus #look #instagood #life #insta #naturephotography #follow #me #smile #instalike #photooftheday #nature #awesome #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community_member #rebels_united https://www.instagram.com/p/CXEJTjgo1Ct/?utm_medium=tumblr

Sunset 🌄 again 🌞 I like the sunset so much Pic1: F/13 250.0mm 1/4000s ISO-400, raw 📷 #canoneos #450D . . . #sunset #nofilter #sky #trees #nature #look #instagood #life #insta #follow #comment #instagram #instalike #instagramanet #photooftheday #awesome #amazing #beautiful #lifestyle #photo #photographer #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #raw_community_member https://www.instagram.com/p/CQTOqIRsJyy/?utm_medium=tumblr

Lovely king wasp 👑 🐝 I see the last wasp 🐝 in my garden🍀. Try to enjoy😀 the last rays of the sun 🌄. . . 📷 #samsungs8 . . . #wasp #sun #garden #austria #love #macrophotography #nice #instagood #insta #instagramanet #instalike #instagram #photooftheday #photo #photographer #photography #amazing #awesome #beautiful #nature #naturephotography #travelphotography #travel #funtravel #follow #comment #like #look #life (hier: Wiener Neustadt, Austria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYDL0OhSCH/?igshid=38g7d6gb65ww

Day 30: Colors - Colorful 🧮 beautiful ship 🛥️ on the pier in Hemingway's Little Venice Caorle - a daily photo challenge by @rebels_united F/1.89 5.43mm 1/14s ISO-4044, raw 📸 #pocox3nfc . . #luxiumtaurus #caorle #littlevenezia #Hemingway #Caorle #rebel_colors #instalike #photooftheday #awesome #photography #picoftheday #nothingisordinary #rebel_scapes #raw_community_member #rebels_united #raw_mobile #raw_mobilephoto #RebelsUnitedSept2022POTD (at Italien Caorle) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjINHS3Df89/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=