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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThursday’s headline refers to the solar flare that peaked at 12:02 p.m. EST on Dec. 14, 2023. NASA classified it as X2.8. It was the largest flare of Solar Cycle 25 at the time and the largest since Sept. 10, 2017—not the largest solar flare ever recorded.
What happened on Dec. 14, 2023?
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory observed the flare, which peaked at 12:02 p.m. EST and was classified X2.8. NASA’s event report gives the time and classification. A contemporaneous FOX Weather report said NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center identified it as the largest flare since Sept. 10, 2017, and the largest detected in Solar Cycle 25.
The event produced high-frequency radio blackouts and significant interference with aircraft communications, according to FOX Weather’s report. Those effects are an immediate reason space-weather forecasts matter to aviation and communications operators.
What does an X2.8 solar flare mean?
Solar flares are ranked B, C, M, and X, from weaker to stronger classes. Each step up in letter represents a tenfold increase in energy output; the number further distinguishes strength within a class. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s 2011 explanation notes that X-class numbers can exceed 9. NASA’s flare classification guide estimates the most powerful flare on record at about X45.
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So X2.8 describes a powerful flare, but the rating does not make it an all-time record. “Largest in years” refers to the period since September 2017 and to the comparison within Solar Cycle 25, not to every flare in recorded history.
Can a solar flare disrupt radio or GPS?
Yes. A flare releases electromagnetic radiation that can quickly disturb the part of Earth’s upper atmosphere used by high-frequency radio signals. That can cause radio blackouts, particularly on the sunlit side of Earth. NASA says flares and solar eruptions can also affect navigation signals, electric power grids, spacecraft, and astronauts. The Dec. 14 event’s reported radio and aircraft-communications effects are examples of the communications risk.
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A flare’s radiation is not the same thing as a direct impact from solar material. A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a separate, larger release of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun. If a CME is directed toward Earth, it can interact with Earth’s magnetic environment and drive a geomagnetic storm, which may affect technology and produce auroras.
Did this flare cause the northern lights?
The Dec. 14 NASA event page confirms the flare, its time, and its X2.8 classification, but does not establish that this particular flare produced a later aurora. A flare by itself is not enough to conclude that the northern lights will appear: an Earth-directed CME and its interaction with Earth’s magnetic field are important factors. Do not treat an aurora forecast as confirmed solely because a strong flare occurred.
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Is this the same as the October 2024 X9.05 flare?
No. The X2.8 event occurred on Dec. 14, 2023. SANSA later reported an X9.05 flare on Oct. 3, 2024, describing it as the strongest Earth-facing flare in seven years. That is a separate, later event, with a higher X-class number. The two reports use different time framing, so “largest in years” should always be read alongside the event date and the stated comparison period. SANSA’s Oct. 2024 report covers the later flare.
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