A massive, hyperactive sunspot has just unleashed its third X-class solar flare — the most powerful type of solar explosion — in less than 24 hours. The latest flare, which is the largest of the current solar cycle, is the sun's most intense outburst since 2017. And an even more powerful explosion could be on the way.
But on Feb. 22, the same sunspot unleashed an X6.3 flare around 23 hours after the first, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This was around five times more powerful than the previous two flares, according to NASA. But we are not yet in the clear. AR3590 has a particularly unstable magnetic field that"harbors energy for more X-class explosions," Spaceweather.com reported. The sunspot only recently emerged on the sun's near-side to Earth and will be pointing at us for the next week, so if it does have any more violent outbursts it could hurl a substantial CME right at us.
Last year, there were 13 X-class flares, which was up from seven in 2022 and two in 2021, according to SpaceWeatherLive.com. Now, after AR3590's triple flares, we have already had five X-class flares in 2024 and we haven't even hit March.
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