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See NASA's Stunning Image of the Sun Spitting Out Its Biggest Solar Flare Since 2017

The sun is in a spirited mood as it kicks out a glowing series of solar flares, including a fresh X9 that's the most intense we've seen in years.

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Headshot of Amanda Kooser
Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
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Full disc view of the orange and black sun spitting out a bright flare in front.
Enlarge Image
Full disc view of the orange and black sun spitting out a bright flare in front.

The sun spit out an X9 solar flare on Oct. 3 and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory was there to see it.

 NASA/SDO

Well, that was a whopper. Our excitable sun kicked out a solar flare on Thursday that's the biggest since 2017. The eruption of energy from our closest star could possibly trigger spectacular auroras. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory snapped a view of the flare that shows it pointing toward Earth. 

"Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy," said NASA. "Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts."

Read more: Watch for the Northern Lights to Put On a Dazzling Show This Week

SDO is a spacecraft that studies the sun. It monitors activity and sends back images of what it sees. Though humans can't look directly at the sun without proper eye protection, SDO can stare at it all day long. The view NASA shared shows the sun looking like a molten ball with a bright spot in the lower center where the X9 flare emerged. 

"The image shows subsets of extreme ultraviolet light that highlight the extremely hot material in flares and which are colorized in red and gold," the space agency said.

Report with a blue sun showing a solar flare coming from the lower center.
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Report with a blue sun showing a solar flare coming from the lower center.

NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a report for the X9 solar flare on Oct. 3.

 NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

Solar flares are categorized into classes, with X-class flares being the most intense. There's quite a range within the X category. NASA estimates that the most powerful flare on record was an X45 in 2003, but it was so strong it overloaded the sensors measuring it, so that's a best guess. Thursday's X9 is still a doozy. 

"Solar flares of this magnitude can be impulsive (meaning quick to rise and decrease) lasting some minutes, or last a few hours," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center said in a report on the flare.  

The sun goes through cycles, and it's currently in a time of high activity. The last time the sun got this intense was in 2017 when it spit out a series of serious X-class flares. Expect more peppy outbursts as the sun continues to shake things up.

SWPC is monitoring the flare's aftereffects. The flare was associated with a coronal mass ejection, or CME. That can be great for aurora chasers, since CMEs can trigger strong auroras on Earth. It's already set to be a good week for viewing the northern lights through Oct. 5 thanks to a previous flare. Keep an eye on SWPC's aurora forecasts for the latest.