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Scientists detect five powerful M-class solar flares

A ten-minute-long solar flare classified as M4.7 was recorded in X-rays in sunspot group 3932

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Scientists detected five powerful M-class solar flares on December 24, Russia’s Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics has told TASS.

"On December 24, at around 3:19 a.m. Moscow time (12:19 a.m. GMT), a ten-minute-long solar flare classified as M4.7 was recorded in X-rays in sunspot group 3932 (S18E23)," the scientists said in a statement.

Besides, M1.0-class, M4.2-class solar flares were registered, as well as two M1.1-class events.

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.

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