MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. The Sun blasted the strongest flare over the past six years, which was recorded on Thursday at about 8:00 p.m. Moscow time (5:00 p.m. GMT), the Fobos weather center said.

"Today, at about 8:00 p.m. Moscow time, a strong solar flare was recorded and classified as X2.8, which is the most powerful solar flare since the beginning of this year. Before that, the X2.2 flare of February 17 was among the leaders in coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The eruptions of such strength were last recorded on the nearest star back in 2017," the statement said.

This flare followed the other two mid-level ones - M5.8 peaking at 10:44 a.m. (7:44 a.m. GMT) and M2.3 peaking at 4:48 p.m. (1:48 p.m. GMT).

Solar flares are divided into five classes according to their X-ray strength: the smallest ones are A-class, followed by B, C, M and X. A0.0 class is equal to the radiation energy found in the Earth’s orbit, 10 nanowatts per square meter. Each letter stands for a 10-fold increase in energy output. As a rule, the flares, known as giant explosions on the sun, send solar plasma into space, and the clouds of these charged particles can bring about geomagnetic storms when reaching the Earth.