Massive Solar Flare 19 Times Bigger Than Earth Leaps Out From the Sun [Watch]

An astrophotographer from Arizona has shot a stunning time-lapse movie of the Sun, which shows two intense solar flares in action.

Andrew McCarthy, a resident of Florence, created the image by taking over a million photos of the Sun with a special telescope.

(Photo : NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory via Getty Images)
In a screen grab taken from a handout timelapse sequence provided by NASA / SDO, a solar spot in the center of the Sun is captured from which the first X-class flare was emitted in four years on February 14, 2011.

Astrophotographer Spends 7 Hours Taking Photos of Solar Flare

McCarthy said in a tweet that he spent seven hours photographing the Sun in the hopes of capturing a solar flare.

In a later tweet, he revealed that the object that jumped from the Sun's surface had a maximum distance of roughly 150,000 kilometers.

McCarthy shot the photographs he used for the time-lapse on April 30, 2022. He said that while the video is just around 30 seconds long, it reflects nearly seven hours of solar activity.

On the other hand, McCarthy's big solar flares were oriented away from Earth and lasted around 5-10 minutes apiece. Thus, they had no discernible space weather consequences on our globe.

He captured two huge solar flares and the largest of the two ejected material around 150,000 miles into space which is about about 19 times bigger than the Earth, Newsweek reported.

Special filters were added to the astrophotographer's telescope, allowing him to safely see the Sun while still seeing the atmospheric characteristics of our star.

McCarthy strongly argued about avoiding pointing a telescope at the Sun since people have gone blind attempting to chronicle solar activity without the necessary information.

He went on to say that strong flares may propel high-energy particles towards Earth, which can destroy satellites and produce magnificent auroras as they are steered towards the poles by the Earth's magnetic field.

How the Astrophotographer Took the Photo

The astrophotographer is self-taught and has no formal training, but he can practice full-time due to the support of those who like his work, according to Newsweek.

McCarthy said in the same Newsweek report that solar astronomy is his passion. He will be performing more of them as the Sun gets more active near the height of its 11-year cycle.

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McCarthy was thrilled to witness the flares, one of which was described as being "pretty large." They stood out among the rest because they were reasonably brilliant compared to the other prominences. McCarthy sprang from his chair and instantly sent a message to all of his astronomy colleagues.

McCarthy has been shooting the Sun every day for the past few months and recently recorded the biggest sunspot cluster he has ever seen. As the Sun approaches the solar maximum, the astrophotographer remarked that activity has increased and will continue to increase.

Solar Minimum and Solar Maximum

According to NASA, the Sun is a massive ball of electrically charged heated gas. When this charged gas travels, it creates a strong magnetic field. The magnetic field of the Sun goes through a cycle known as the solar cycle.

Every 11 years or so, the magnetic field of the Sun completely rotates. As a result, the Sun's north and south poles will shift their positions. After that, the Sun's north and south poles must revert for another 11 years.

The solar cycle influences activity on the Sun's surface, such as sunspots caused by the Sun's magnetic fields. As the magnetic fields fluctuate, the amount of activity on the Sun's surface fluctuates.

One method of tracking the solar cycle is to count the number of sunspots. There is a solar minimum at the beginning of a solar cycle or when the Sun has the fewest sunspots. With time, solar activity and the number of sunspots increases.

In the middle of the solar cycle, the solar maximum occurs when the Sun has the most sunspots. The Sun comes back to its lowest point, the solar minimum, as the cycle ends, and a new cycle begins.

The solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots, occurs in the middle of the solar cycle. As the cycle concludes, the Sun returns to its lowest point, the solar minimum, and a new cycle starts.

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are massive eruptions on the Sun, become more common as the solar cycle progresses. Powerful bursts of energy and material are sent into space during these eruptions.

This behavior may have an impact on the planet. For example, eruptions can generate aurora, or skylights, or disrupt radio communications. Extreme outbursts have the potential to disrupt Earth's energy networks.

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