The Sun emitted two strong solar flares, the first peaking at 9:07 p.m. ET on April 23. The second strong solar flare peaked at 4:13 a.m. ET on April 24. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured images of the events. 

Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.    

The first flare is classified as an X2.4 flare and the second is classified as an X2.5 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts. NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort. NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding Earth.