![\"Post-flare](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1_JS301111460-1.jpg\")
Post-flare loops erupt from Sun’s surface(Image: NASA\/Getty)<\/p>\nLoops tens of times the size of Earth leap up off the sun’s surface<\/p>\n
17:15, 20 May 2025Updated 17:15, 20 May 2025<\/p>\n
Post-flare loops erupt from Sun’s surface(Image: NASA\/Getty)<\/p>\n
The sun<\/a> emitted a strong solar flare on Wednesday, May 14. Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space.<\/p>\n These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms, <\/a>known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The number of solar flares increases approximately every eleven years.<\/p>\n The biggest flares are known as “X-class flares” based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength. The smallest ones are A-class<\/p>\n The biggest X-class flares are by far the largest explosions in the solar system. Explained by NASA, they say: “Loops tens of times the size of Earth leap up off the sun’s surface when the sun’s magnetic fields cross over each other and reconnect.<\/p>\n “In the biggest events, this reconnection process can produce as much energy as a billion hydrogen bombs.”<\/p>\n A flare captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory <\/a>last week was a strong one. NASA says: “This flare is classified as an X2.7 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.”<\/p>\n High-frequency radio signals were disrupted for around 10 minutes, according to space weather<\/a> forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US.<\/p>\n![\"Post-flare](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747821374_173_1_JS301111460-1.jpg\")
Post-flare loops erupt from Sun’s surface(Image: NASA\/Getty)<\/p>\n