NASA | X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares
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Flares happen when the powerful magnetic fields in and around the sun reconnect. They’re usually associated with active regions, often seen as sun spots, where the magnetic fields are strongest. Flares are classified according to their strength. The smallest ones are B-class, followed by C, M and X, the largest. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a ten-fold increase in energy output. So an X is 10 times an M and 100 times a C. Within each letter class, there is a finer scale from 1 to 9. C-class flares are too weak to noticeably affect Earth. M-class flares can cause brief radio blackouts at the poles and minor radiation storms that might endanger astronauts. Although X is the last letter, there are flares more than 10 times the power of an X1, so X-class flares can go higher than 9. The most powerful flare on record was in 2003, during the last solar maximum. It was so powerful that it overloaded the sensors measuring it. They cut-out at X28. A powerful X-class flare like that can create long lasting radiation storms, which can harm satellites and even give airline passengers, flying near the poles, small radiation doses. X flares also have the potential to create global transmission problems and world-wide blackouts. This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA’s Goddard Shorts HD podcast: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook: www.facebook …
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25 Comments
December 25th, 2011 at 4:41 am
@squidb8 By shutting stuff down.
December 25th, 2011 at 5:26 am
Doesn’t a flare take just minutes to reach earth. How do you prepare for that?
December 25th, 2011 at 6:13 am
sa serai instructif et intéressent de ne pas politiser ces recherches ce la dit dans le sens du soit dissent surchauffe ment climatique qui me semble non logique et non réfléchit
December 25th, 2011 at 6:28 am
@snails40 Compared to what goes into the wars? The cost of the wars is much more than all of NASA’s budget since the start of the program. $700 Million is nothing.
December 25th, 2011 at 7:12 am
You all know that, in the distant future, space could be our last resort yea?.. A very distant future.
December 25th, 2011 at 7:15 am
1 day of sunlight could fuel the entire planet for a year. We fucking suck at everything, still a child race.
December 25th, 2011 at 7:57 am
in india ,tamilnadu ,human souls are taken under earth ,under rocks ,even to several thousnds kilometers under rocks under old revenges ,vengenes ,conspirancies ,polatics and given different shapes .in sevrages and made like aliens .please save ..taking under earth and beating and burning .please save .to every one .every molecules .and request to bring all the souls ,creatures from under earth to on earth .please save from pains sufferings .please save
December 25th, 2011 at 8:10 am
message for request .please request you to at the time ancient ,puranic times ,there may be mistake of one or two persons .mistakes would have been due to bad wisedom or bad fate and could not come out of sins which made sinner and sinner .at that time itself mistakes would have rectified and proper steps would have taken for betterment that mistakes should not be repeated .there would have been no bad happenings..
December 25th, 2011 at 9:00 am
every human every soul either good or bad ,angle or evil ,sinner, god or devil every one want to live as a good humanbeing –please save
December 25th, 2011 at 9:04 am
requests to all to request and pray, enemities,quarrels ,old evil (bhudhi) intelligence of sins like veangins ,kama (so far which are the cause for every bad happenings ),enemities to destroy,spoiling others,hates for others all bad wisedom, bad evil thoughts, be change to good & noble and betterment for others, intelligence not commiting sins and not doing bad for others,.and save every soul ,grand soul, humans , balas in back bones , kundlani power , every molecules of humans .
December 25th, 2011 at 9:35 am
214 people like nasa, 2 people are doomsayers lmao sucks to be them
December 25th, 2011 at 10:32 am
@heartlessvietboy : The best “map” to look at for that would be a globe of the world. The Pacific Ocean takes up nearly half our planet. The Earth is indeed about two-thirds covered with oceans and seas -and rather misnamed! We should have called our world “Water” instead.
December 25th, 2011 at 11:17 am
Thanks NASA – good breif explanatory clip here. Appreciated.
December 25th, 2011 at 11:31 am
Is Earth really covered by 70% Water? Think about it. Look on Map.
December 25th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
If anyone is curious:
The X45′s particle and magnetic storm didn’t hit Earth (thankfully), but the X-rays hit the ionosphere and created a measurable affect. The scientists could then calculate the magnitude of the solar flare by seeing how much the ionosphere got affected.
December 25th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
why can’t radiation give super powers instead of cancer?
December 25th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
@MaSairHeid i’m not an expert, but i would say no. unlike the Suns solar max’s and min’s, geomagnetic reversals don’t have any particular pattern. i would guess that the Sun could have some kind of influence on the flip, but it doesn’t actually cause the Earths magnetic field to reverse.
but it is an interesting subject! one to look into!
December 25th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
@JoelTM347 I am a Chinese, I have to say, the American scientists have done a lot for the whole human race’s benefit by doing research on subjects like the one in the video. All people should thank them.
December 25th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
I am a Chinese, I have to say, the American scientists have done a lot for the whole human race’s benefit by doing research on subjects like the one in the video. All people should thank them.
December 25th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
I am a Chinese, I have to say, the American scientists have done a lot for the whole human race’s benefit by doing research on subjects like the one in the video.
December 25th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
@JoelTM347 You have no idea how much money goes to nasa.
Like 700 million every year
December 25th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
its never really dangerous as they speak about it.
But the last years, the volcanous like the Iceland one.
Forest fires, earthquakes are largely caused by huge solar flares.
Maximum sohuld have begun in 2009 but waited for 2010.
Now its blasting like never before.
And with the Planetary Changes happening throughout the entire Solar System and not only on earth. ( in the form of global warming ) The sun is getting more active then any solar maximum before.
Interesting stuff goin on, look it up
December 25th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
What effect did the X45 in 2003 have on Earth when it happened? Any idea what drives the 11 year solar cycle in the first place? Are some solar maximums worse than others and if so any idea why?
December 25th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Exactly what ‘steps’ will/do Governments and companies take to ‘protect’ their infrastructure, exactly?
December 25th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
X45?!?!?! Oh……