What Does It Take To Be X-Class?
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- Visualizations by:
- Scott Wiessinger
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- Written by:
- Karen Fox
- View full credits
The largest explosions in the solar system get rewarded for their sheer brawn with a fitting, sci-fi-sounding name: X-class. Made visible to us by sun-observing satellites, these solar flares are awesome to watch. Loops of solar material—called plasma—leap off the sun's surface and expand to 10 times the size of Earth. The biggest flares can produce as much energy as a billion hydrogen bombs. Scientists categorize solar flares according to strength. The smallest ones are A-class, at near-background solar activity levels, followed by B, C, M, and X. Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a 10-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 one to nine. 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 nine. As the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year cycle, expect more activity like the X6.9 flare on Aug. 9, 2011, seen above. Its brightness briefly overloaded satellite image sensors. Watch the videos below for footage of and a guide to these extreme solar phenomena.
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Animators
- Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
- Alex Kekesi (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Chris Smith (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Writer
- Karen Fox (ADNET Systems, Inc.) [Lead]
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Producer
- Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Narrator
- Karen Fox (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
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ID: 10109 Produced Video
X-Class: A Guide to Solar Flares
Read moreFlares 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 X17, and the flare was later estimated to be about X45. 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. ||
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