On December 29, 2024, a powerful solar flare rated X1.1 was detected on the Sun, marking a significant event in solar activity. The flare began at 10:08 AM Moscow time, with the peak radiation recorded at 10:18 AM. The explosive phase lasted approximately 30 minutes.
Sergey Bogachev, head of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reported that solar activity has been on the rise for about a week, with the number of flares nearly doubling during this period.
This particular flare occurred in a region potentially impacting Earth, leading to expectations of coronal mass ejections. Scientists predict that Earth will experience new magnetic storms between December 31 and January 1.