The Sun Emitted Two Strong Solar Flares on June 1, 2024.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured images of two solar flares—seen as bright flashes near the center—on June 1. These images show extreme ultraviolet light, highlighting the hot material in flares, colorized in blue and gold.

On Saturday, June 1, 2024, the Sun unleashed two powerful solar flares, peaking at 4:48 a.m. and 2:36 p.m. ET. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which continuously monitors the Sun, captured stunning images of these events.

Solar flares are intense bursts of energy capable of impacting radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and posing risks to spacecraft and astronauts. The first flare, occurring early in the morning, was classified as an X1.4 flare, while the second, in the afternoon, was classified as an X1.0 flare. The X-class denotes the most powerful flares, with the number indicating the strength within this category.

For more information on how space weather can affect Earth, visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center at [spaceweather.gov](https://spaceweather.gov/). This site is the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts.

NASA plays a crucial role in the nation's space weather efforts by conducting research and constantly observing the Sun and the surrounding space environment with a fleet of spacecraft. These studies cover the Sun’s activity, its atmosphere, and the particles and magnetic fields in the space around Earth.

Comments

NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Reveals New Details of the Orion Nebula’s Star Formation.

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image captures the Orion Nebula (Messier 42, M42), the nearest star-forming region to Earth, located about 1,500 light-years away. A captivating new image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope offers an extraordinary look into the Orion Nebula, the nearest massive star-forming region to Earth. Located just 1,500 light-years away, this nebula is visible to the naked eye below the three stars forming Orion's "belt." The region is home to hundreds of newborn stars, including two protostars featured in the image: HOPS 150 and HOPS 153. Named after the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey, conducted with ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, the protostars HOPS 150 and HOPS 153 provide key insights into the early stages of star formation. HOPS 150, visible in the upper-right corner of the image, is a binary star system, with two young stars orbiting one another. These protostars are surrounded by small dusty disks, where material from th...

New Method Detects Small Asteroids in Main Belt, Offering Insight for Planetary Defense.

An international team of physicists, led by MIT researchers, has developed a groundbreaking method to detect small asteroids, as small as 10 meters in diameter, within the main asteroid belt. These space rocks, ranging from the size of a bus to several stadiums wide, were previously undetectable using traditional methods. The team's discovery, detailed in a paper published in Nature, could significantly improve tracking of potential asteroid impactors, aiding planetary defense efforts. The main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter, is home to millions of asteroids, but until now, scientists could only detect objects roughly a kilometer in diameter. The new detection technique, which utilizes the "shift and stack" method, is able to identify much smaller asteroids, even those far from Earth, enabling more precise orbital tracking. This breakthrough is crucial for planetary defense, allowing scientists to spot near-Earth objects that may pose a threat in the fu...

XSPECT Payload Successfully Validates Performance through Cas A Observation.

The XSPECT instrument captures a detailed spectrum of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), encompassing both the Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) background and the Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB). The flux observed above 8 keV predominantly results from the combined contributions of CXB and GCR. The presented spectrum, depicted in the figure, is derived from a cumulative integration time of 20 ksec, collected across multiple orbits, providing valuable insights into the X-ray emissions associated with Cas A. XPoSat, India's inaugural X-ray polarimetric mission, has achieved a significant as the XSPECT instrument captures its initial observations from the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) supernova remnant. Launched on January 1, 2024, XPoSat is equipped with two co-aligned instruments, namely the POLarimeter Instrument in X-rays (POLIX) and X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing (XSPECT). This mission is designed to unravel the mysteries of cosmic X-ray sources. While POLIX focuses on examining X-ray po...

Infinity Cosmos

Search This Blog